Dragon Riders 02: Kaze no Kaeru
by nightdragon0
Summary: Sequel to 'Dragon Rider Chronicles'. Though experienced as they are, how will the Dragon Riders adapt when humans are turned into Pokemon and vice versa? Yet, evil waits for no hero and the Charizard & Scyther team must fight on.... (Completed)
1. Prologue: Alone in the Rain

_Author's Notes:_

_--Since this is a sequel, you might want to read its predecessor, 'Dragon Rider Chronicles' first. It's recommended, by not entirely necessary. _

_--The series title 'Kaze no Kaeru' is Japanese and roughly translates to 'Winds of Change'. _

* * *

_Pokemon and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

* * *

**Alone in the Rain**

By nightdragon0

A raindrop hit my forehead, arousing me from my sleep. Blinking, I sat up, brushing the falling leaves and water out of my face. I dropped down to a lower tree branch to get a little more shelter from the storm.

_Alone in the rain..._

However, most of my life had been rather gloomy lately.

My name is Nightslice.

Odd name, you'll be thinking. Odd name for a human, that is. But I'm not.

I slashed my pair of sword-like claws about, flexing my muscles. I stretched my wings, cramped after I'd been lying on them the whole night.

That's right, I'm a Scyther. A friend once said that I looked like a praying mantis crossed with a Velociraptor, which I suppose describes me fairly well. When I still had friends with me, that is.

How long ago was that? Hmmm... just two months? Feels like years longer.

And that was when I could be around others.

It should be fairly obvious then, that I'm no ordinary Scyther. That's true to a frightening extent. I can speak the language of the humans, which isn't bad at times, but there's still something else.

A dark power dwells within my being, a dark power even I can't fully control. Someday, it just may take over. That's why I had to leave the others.

_Kris...Firestorm...Jade...and all the rest. _

I'm afraid of myself, afraid of what I can and may do.

What I'm about to tell you may not matter, but please, stay a while and hear me out.

_This is my story... _

* * *

I was a product of genetic experiments. Born in a lab, created with the viscous power of my breed and human-level intelligence. The scientists then thought they could control life itself. They thought they could play God.

They went a step too far.

I joined forces with Firestorm, then a Charmeleon who'd been captured by the humans, and together, we escaped confinement.

Turned out that the lab was funded by Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket. Soon, we had the criminal organization hot on our heels.

Firestorm, as far as I could tell, was recaptured. I escaped, only to face a greater torment. In a battle high atop the Snowy Mountains, I fell into an icy cavern and would remain buried there for the next 5 years, literally frozen in time.

That was where Kris came in. An orphan who'd been adopted by the late Ninja Master, Wang Long. She'd been trained as a Ninja and had faked her age to get into Team Rocket, where she met Firestorm.

Her noble soul and Firestorm's ferocious courage soon forged a bond, which led them to flee Team Rocket together. Coincidentally, the place they took to hiding was the Snowy Mountains.

On one of their expeditions, they liberated me from that icy grave. Miraculously, I survived and eventually fully recovered. Even though I suffered from amnesia, those times we spent there together were the truly happy days of my life.

Ultimately, we did return to the civilized world and our journey began. Personally, it was a journey of startling revelations and self-discovery.

It was soon revealed that Firestorm was descended from Harasalt, a legendary Holy Dragon who fought Kaiser, his dark counterpart.

And Kaiser was my ancestor.

Prophecies foretold that the Dark Dragon would rise again, and we hoped to prevent it. One Pokemon of light, one of darkness, with equilibrium of Yin and Yang balanced.

Joined by a brash young man called Jade, we sought out hidden Sacred and Forbidden Skills, fought in both trainer and gym battles to maintain our cover, against Team Rocket and Kaiser's forces, led by my biological father, Alugard.

I was tempted several times to join Alugard in his quest for the destruction of humanity, and each time, I refused.

Then came the revelation that I possessed part of Kaiser's spirit. I was the one foretold who would resurrect the Dark God. While it granted me the ability to transform into power warrior known as the Knight Blazer and rendered me virtually immortal, though not impervious to damage, it was one of the most difficult things to accept.

I felt that I was the master of my fate, that no prophecy could control my destiny. That I could still fight alongside my friends for what I believed in.

Then, I lost control of the Knight Blazer and attacked Kris. Though I managed to stop myself from killing her, I realized that I was a threat to everyone I cared about.

Kris and I had grown pretty close during our adventures and I still dreaded the thought of what could've happened.

Even Alugard seemed to have been trying to convince me of that fact. I wonder if he was right after all?

I had to leave. I had to run. To get away. If I could hide away for eternity, by myself, I could shatter the prophecy for good. Then, I wouldn't able to cause harm to anyone else.

But the dreams, they would never leave me.

_Fires...battle... what I could do...what I wanted...what I would do...NO! _

* * *

I roared, snapping my jaws and slashing my blades at empty air. It took several minutes of deep breathing to calm down.

_Just that dream..._

I'd fallen asleep again. That dream was the one where my past would play out in front of me, like a movie. Then, it would turn into a nightmare.

I shook my head and jumped down to the forest floor.

_Time to get back to reality._

Life in the wild was harsh and dangerous. Especially for me, a domesticated Pokemon who'd never lived without humans. In the past two months, I've had to learn how to survive on my own, by myself. And had practically starved myself trying learn how to hunt.

_Except you can't die._ The voice in my head reminded me.

The choice to take my own life would've been something I would've actually considered, provided it was applicable to me.

I had to keep moving too. The Fuchsia region was populated by all sorts of nasty Pokemon, and not many friendly ones.

Then there were humans, always on the lookout for a new Pokemon to capture. I had to be particularly cautious around them.

I prayed that I wouldn't accidentally run into Kris and the others. I couldn't face them again, not just yet at least.

Still, the hunting was good here and I'd decided to stay a while more before moving on to find a more permanent home.

I'd never really figured out whether Scyther were carnivorous or not, but if my digestive system could handle human food, I figured I'd be able to consume whatever was edible.

I trudged down to the lake and managed to snap a couple of medium-sized fish out of the water, which I quickly gulped down. I then lowered my snout and took a nice long drink.

As I did so, my gaze fell upon my reflection on the water's surface. It had been a while since I actually took time to look and I was shocked to find that I barely recognized myself anymore.

Unkempt hair, worn skin, roughened scales. I really looked like a wild Pokemon now. However, the scar that ran all the way from my left forehead, between my eyes and down to the right side of my jaws was still clearly visible. A little 'memento' Alugard had given me.

Then I heard the scream. To be more precise, the distress call. It was a female...and she was in trouble!

Now, wild Pokemon don't generally have a too good sense of honor; that was a human thing, after all. But something simply made me spread my wings and head straight towards the source of the noise.

The next few seconds was a mad dash, cutting tree limbs out of my way and evading those I couldn't chop up in time.

I finally found the female. It was a relatively young Scyther, surrounded by five Pinsir.

_Damn...sometimes I just hate my nature..._

* * *

The first one never saw me coming. I drove my scythes through the softer, lightly armored sections on his back, ripping his innards out. Posing over the fallen one's carcass, I roared out a battle cry.

The other four came towards me all at once.

I leapt over the first, used the second as a springboard and rammed into the third. The force of the blow catapulted the unfortunate bug straight into the horns of his comrade, fatally impaling him.

Immediately, I turned around and blocked the deadly horns of the one behind. It was still a two-on-one and I found myself in a frantic adrenaline rush.

I was still busy hacking at the first two when the third surviving one came up behind me. Desperately, I rolled away to avoid the impending blow and was unable to recover in time.

All at once, they launched an excellently coordinated attack. One took my feet out from under me and the second immediately tackled me in mid-air, sending me sprawling over. I'd barely had time to taste the dirt in my mouth when the last one leapt onto my back, pinning my chest and arms against the ground and rendering my blades useless.

I screamed in agony as he grasped my neck in his claws.

Then, I felt it.

_No..._

I saw the purple energy glowing around me body. Charged by an unholy energy, I heaved up and threw the Pinsir off my back.

I let lose a nightmarish roar. Next thing I knew, I was looking through a red visor.

_No...I didn't want to do this! _

I looked down at the black-clad armor that covered most of my body. Only a single sliver section ran along my chest. My body still retained its normal shape and posture, with two exceptions; the pair of twin machine guns mounted on my waist and my claws, which had been modified so that a five-fingered hand was hidden beneath each of them. It was a sight I dreaded.

It was the Knight Blazer, Kaiser's spirit, and it had taken control of me.

My claws were covered in the body fluids of one of the bugs, and I realized I'd cleanly carved another Pinsir in two. The two survivors were hesitating, panicked and stricken with fear.

Big mistake.

I attacked, and made a nice hole in the body of the closest one. The final one had already turned to run, but I wouldn't let him escape. It was a quick chase, and I caught him by the horns and swung him headfirst into a pile of sharp rocks, penetrating his exoskeleton and splitting his skull.

I stood there panting as I reverted back to normal. The mere sight of what I'd just done made me absolutely sick to my stomach. And even the armor hadn't spared me the painful act of having my opponents' body fluids splattered all over me.

Yet, this wasn't the end of my problems.

There was a faint rustling of leaves and one Scyther after another appeared. The female's swarm apparently. They were led by a battle-scared Scizor, who stood and watched me with a distinct sense of curiosity.

Obviously, they'd never seen anything like my powers and were unsure of what to do.

I didn't know much about my own species in the wild, but I did know that they didn't fancy intruders, other Scyther included. And picking a fight with a wild Scyther swarm is not something you'd want to do to keep yourself healthy.

I growled and roared out some illegible statements. Several of them backed off, but most held their ground. I stared the Scizor straight in the eye as I continued snarling and backing away. Far away enough for me to get a head start whilst fleeing.

Word can't explain how thankful I was that none of them decided to follow me.

* * *

Later that day, I was seated on a cliff overlooking the sea in an utterly depressed mood.

_There I went again. Dammit, will I never be free of this? _I hung my head low. _Not matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to get away. Kris...despite all you've been through, you're lucky, you know? He just won't leave me alone. Why me? Of all the Pokemon in the world, WHY ME? I never asked for any of this! What did I do to deserve this?! _

I couldn't sit still any longer.

_Goddammit! Answer me!! _

I sprang to my feet and screamed into empty air.

"Now someone's had a bad day."

I started, looking around for the source of the voice. It was in human speech.

"Sssrraa...hhrraa..." I cleared my throat, "Whhho aarr you?! Ssaaow yourrrssself!!"

After spending so long in silence, my speaking abilities had rapidly begun to deteriorate.

"I'm not one you'll see with your eyes alone, son of Kaiser. " the gentle feminine voice continued.

I paused and reached out with my mind. Indeed, I could sense her aura. Not that of any ordinary being, but something more. Closer to what I felt around Alugard.

"Indeed, I am what you think. Your desire something, so come to my chamber where we can talk."

I searched around and found a set of steps carved into the cliff face that I hadn't noticed before. I followed them downwards, flying into a cavern just at sea level. Fortunately, the tide was out or the cave would've been flooded.

My eyes were built for darkness and they adjusted quickly to the dim lighting conditions. As I walked, the only sounds were that of my feet splashing in the puddles and my own shallow breathing. I rounded a corner, which severely cut off the amount of sunlight that was streaming in through the entrance.

Then I saw her.

At first, it seemed like an indescribable mass of mist and light. Then a shape slowly begun to take form. The shimmering form of a Ninetales gracefully stepped forward, swaying her tails behind in a smoothing motion. The pinkish light emitted from her body gave off the feeling of a peaceful tranquil.

"Well met, my lord. I am the spirit of Euphoria."

"Yrrou...arrr...Are you a Knight of Kaiser?" I asked, struggling not to get my tongue tangled.

"Indeed. I have remained bound here, awaiting your arrival."

"Rroo...doon't seem like the type that would ssrr...serve him."

"Time, changes many of us." she closed her eyes, "Nevertheless, I remain duty bound."

"Then forget it!" I snapped, actually getting all my words right. "I may be the chosen one, I will not follow the prophecy, even if I have to live eternity in denial. Kaiser will not raise again!"

I turned to walk away, but a will-o'-the-wisp flashed in front of my face.

"No one said you had to." She said.

"I have nothing to discuss with you." I growled stubbornly heading for the exit.

"Please hear me out, my lord."

I took a few more steps before I paused and reconsidered.

"Perhaps, I do." I turned around, "Maybe you can answer some of my questions."

"As you wish, my lord."

"Am I truly immortal?" I went directly to the point.

"That depends of your point of view." Euphoria replied after a short pause.

"What do you mean?"

"Kaiser's spirit will heal any wound that would've otherwise proved fatal. This even includes incineration, in which the flesh will reform itself. Though it has no effect on other forms of injury, it does enhance the physical healing process."

"I've pretty much figured that part out."

"But his spirit is also the lifeblood of your survival. Separated from it, and you'll evaporate, disappear as if you never were. The only weapon capable of doing that is one of Harasalt's Scared skills."

"Those are out of the question." I spoke immediately. Even possessing those very skills, Firestorm would never willingly strike me down, much less try to kill me.

"Oh, and there is one other way I know of." she grinned.

"What?"

The Ninetales leapt up beside me and put a ghostly paw on my shoulder.

"That's through decapitation."

"Great..." I muttered, not exactly thrilled.

"But, there is a little side effect to that."

"Side effect? Won't I already be dead?"

"Not really. You see, your mind and heart must function as one." She tapped her head and chest for emphasis. "When separated, your body is meant to die, however your mind can't because Kaiser's spirit won't let you."

"Could you explain that in simple words?" I regretted that sentence the instant the words were out of my mouth.

"Basically, you'll be conscious the whole time. Head lying off all alone in some desolate place. You'll try to scream, but your vocal cords have been cut. Then maggots and other crawlers will start creeping in through you ears and nose. They'll slowly begin eating your brains from inside out. Then, all senses fade away and they start going for the raw flesh. And you'll feel every moment of its..."

I bolted round the corner and promptly lost my breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"Did you have to describe it so explicitly?!" I coughed, swallowing back bile.

"I'm sorry," she suppressed a laugh, "But it's only been a few thousand years since I've had a body. Anyway, I'm sure death would not be your ideal means of escape."

She'd read me pretty well. I had one last thing to ask. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to be disappointed.

"Yes, as long as I'm in this body," I tapped a claw against my chest, "as long as I'm a Scyther, a Pokemon, I realize I'll never be able to escape from this...situation."

"So..."

"My powers function as long as I'm a Pokemon, but humans had different origins from us and as such..."

"The Forbidden powers would be sealed away," She finished, "Although lying dormant within."

"This is what you felt I desired earlier on, I believe." I continued, heart pounding. "That I wish to become a human."

Euphoria was silent for a while, then she chuckled.

"You know, in all my years of lingering around as a spirit, I've heard of humans wanting to become Pokemon, but almost never the reverse."

"CAN you do it?" I queried seriously.

The spectral Ninetales immediately stopped giggling, realizing that I was dead serious. She nodded slowly.

"Even if I do not agree with your decision, I am obliged to fulfill your wish, my lord." She said, "So, you desire for me to make you a human?"

"Yes." I said.

"Is that your final decision?" she asked, with a slight hint of humor in her voice.

"Yes, it is." I replied immediately.

"So be it then..."

* * *

_Then, it seemed like a dream come true. I never considered anything else. And now, I wonder, was that all a really big mistake? _


	2. Out of the Blue

_Pokemon and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

* * *

**Out of the Blue**

By nightdragon0

**Kris**

"Heads up!" Dracia warned.

I reached up and snatched the 'flying' fish out of midair.

"Hey, you guys are supposed to be cooking the food, not fighting with it." I laughed.

"Well, this dumb dragon started it!"

"Well, the inferior human male started it!"

That was my traveling partner Jade and Firestorm, my Charizard. Apparently there was a debate going on about who'd knocked the pot of water over. The 18 year old photographer and the Charizard were now going eye-to-eye, which was an amusing sight considering what Firestorm could've done to Jade if he wanted to.

_Crispy fry. _

"Boys will be boys." Dracia slithered up, curled up her long, snake-like body and lay her head down on my lap. The Dragonair had an almost as good, if not better talent for blurting out wisecracks than her trainer, Jade.

Those were the two Pokemon who spoke our language, the human language, as they called it.

I'm Kris. Kris Invorce.

And this was a typical night, camping out for us. The Dragon Riders as we called ourselves. Caught up in a battle between the ancient Dragon Gods of light and darkness. Not something any typical trainer would tell you, but we were far from being ordinary.

_Now, we're just missing someone..._ I reminded myself sadly.

That would be Nightslice. The Scyther had lost control of the dark powers within him and had almost killed me. I never blamed him, but he'd run away, not wanting to be a threat to anyone else. I did respect his wishes, but I cared deeply for him too.

I just had to find him.

We'd heard rumors of some mysterious Pokemon being seen around here lately. It was a long shot, but...I just had to try.

"Hey Kris, your foods gonna get cold if you keep staring up at the stars like that." Jade said.

"Oh, yeah." I muttered, snapping out of my daydream.

"Kris...we'll find him." Firestorm put on his most reassuring voice. "I'll make sure of it."

"Yeah, so lighten up already!" Dracia added in.

"Thanks..."

"We care about Nightslice too." Firestorm put a claw on my shoulder, "After all, he seems to lead us onto every part of our quest. We'd kinda be lost without him. And...hey, Jade!!"

Having accidentally let the campfire die down, Jade grabbed Firestorm's flaming tail and used it to re-light the fire.

"Just a second, Storm." Jade muttered.

"No! My tail is NOT your personal lighter. P-E-R-I-O-D!!" the Charizard roared, flaring his wings furiously.

"Hope you two have this much energy tomorrow." I laughed.

_Ow! _I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out. There was that ache in my hands again. Some injury I'd gotten in a previous battle two moths ago when we liberated Silph Company from Team Rocket. Nothing serious, just that sometimes my muscles would stiffen up and I'd have problems moving my fingers independently of one another.

_Another long day. _I though, flexing my fingers to clear out the numbness.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"So be it then..."

I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Therefor, it came as a complete shock when some unseen force abruptly shoved me back and held me suspended in mid air.

I tried to scream, but the same force held my jaws stationary and spread my limbs and wings out. I was completely paralyzed, unable to even do so much as blink an eye.

_What the hell?! _

"Just try to relax." Euphoria said.

I couldn't see the specter due to my eyes being partially closed, but I could still feel her presence lingering around my body.

"Hold still so I can take a few measurements."

_Like I have a choice for that matter. _I silently growled.

I could feel her moving around my body in circles for a while. Obviously, this was not an easy feat I'd asked of her.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

_What now?! _

"This is going to be very, very...painful."

_What!? OH Ssshhhiiitttt! AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHH! _

* * *

**Kris **

I awoke with a start.

I'd swear I'd heard something. Or someone.

I glanced over to Jade, Dracia and Firestorm, still fast asleep. At least Firestorm should've heard it, but he was snoring away. And very loudly for that matter.

But some odd feeling seemed to be urging me to get up. Some instinct I couldn't really explain. Though I was sure it was just my sense of over cautiousness, I decided to go and take a look. It would only take a few minutes and my friends wouldn't even know I was gone at all.

It was a hot night and I'd been sleeping in my brown T-shirt and jeans. Those would prove sufficient. However, as a second thought, I reached into my black leather, Charizard-decorated jacket, crumpled in a pile beside my sleeping bag and got out my utility belt.

On it were a few small travel essentials, among them a small flashlight, a pocketknife and my tranquilizer pistol.

I reached for my Katana only to remember that it wasn't there anymore. Nightslice had broken it previously when he'd lost control of his powers and attacked me.

It was a present from my late foster father and yet another thing Nightslice would take the blame for. Perhaps that was why I was so desperate to find him, to tell him it was all right.

To make up for it, I grabbed the nearest three Pokeballs and strapped them to the belt too.

Then, I heard the scream again. What it...Nightslice?

Without thinking, I ran off in the direction that I'd thought I heard the voice from.

"Nightslice? Nightslice!" I called over and over again, hoping against hope that he'd somehow answer.

It was about 20 minutes before I realized I had absolutely no clue about where I was. Gingerly, I opened the Pokeballs, revealing Jolteon, Ivysaur and Riptide the Golduck.

"Erm guys?" I muttered meekly, "I think I just got us lost. Any clues on how to get back?"

The Pokemon glanced around in all directions, then shook their heads.

"Thought so." I groaned, "And..."

Just then, the rain started pouring down.

"When it rains, it certainly pours." I said, taking off in a run with my Pokemon in tow to find some better cover.

One moment, I was simply running. Next thing I knew, this tremendous pain had suddenly exploded into my head.

Screaming out, I could still hear the panicked cries of Riptide, Jolteon Ivysaur. And I could hear the thunder and the rain pouring down. I was soaked to the bone, but I didn't care. All I could do was keep running.

Suddenly, I heard a deafening clap of thunder, then a burst of heat right next to me. Lighting had struck a tree practically beside me. I heard the painful yelps of the others. They must've been fairly close by.

I became aware than my vision was spinning. I was tumbling down a steep slope, too shocked to do anything. I cried out in pain, rolling head over heels on the hard, dirt covered slope, bumping into every rock, tree branch and root in my path.

That was when I felt something was seriously wrong with me.

My fingers...I couldn't feel them. Yet, my hands and wrists seemed all right. I felt something on my back, something that caused the loud ripping sound of my shirt. My face...it didn't feel right.

More ripping sounds.

I was quickly losing both strength and consciousness. One final thought escaped my mind.

_Geez...what a...stupid way to...die..._

* * *

**Nightslice**

I groaned, slowly and painstakingly pulling myself back to consciousness. I was lying on my chest, staring down at my own hand.

A human hand.

Instantly, I bolted up onto my knees, completely awake. I held the hand up and clenched my fist.

_Wow, five digits. _That was a pretty much new experience for me. (Although as the Knight Blazer, I've had a five-fingered hand before.)

"Good morning, looks like you're finally up. I had to move you further into the cave cause the tide was rising." Euphoria's cheerful voice greeted me, "How do you feel?"

I had to stare around a bit before I finally saw her. The ghostly Ninetales stood several feet away, casually swaying her tails. Although she was as close as ever, her voice still sounded rather distant.

"I...I..." I begun, holding a hand up to my mouth. My voice sounded quite different, now without the snarl or the raspy growl in it.

_No more snout too. _I silently noted.

"It feels great." I answered. "Unfortunately, also like I've gone blind and deaf."

"Humans don't exactly have the best of senses, but they're sufficient." Euphoria said.

"Yeah, I suppose." I muttered. Well, I had been asking for it after all.

"Oh, and look at yourself. You're all naked."

"Huh? Oh!" I turned away, turning slightly red. The new, human side of my mind was telling me that I was embarrassed.

"Never mind that. Now, Catch!"

A bundle of clothes seemed to appear out of no where. I fell over trying to catch them.

"Hope you know how to put those on!" the fox giggled.

"I know. Well...sorta."

It took a few minutes of experimenting, much to Euphoria's amusement, but I eventually got all the pieces in the right places.

"Hmmm...not bad." She muttered, "Take a look at yourself, handsome." She gestured towards a pool of water, lit up by the sunlight streaming in through several holes in the cavern roof.

Pulling myself to my feet, I had a few shaky steps before I got my balance right and managed to walk over to the pool of clear water.

Taking a deep breath, I looked down. I wore a white shirt, covered by a brown, sleeveless vest with the Yin & Yang symbol on the back and a pair of blue jeans. I ran a hand through my black colored hair, ear-length and neatly combed back. I basically resembled a 15 to 16 year old Japanese person in most respects. All except for...

"Your eyes." Euphoria told me. "Take a closer look."

Indeed, they were familiar, but didn't see to match. They were a deep blue, and seemed to give a piercing stare.

"They're unchanged." I mused, "Still Scyther."

"Yes, I couldn't do anything about those. It shouldn't matter too much either way, but here."

I was tossed a pair of sunglasses.

"Not bad." I grinned, putting them on and admiring my new appearance.

"I take it as you're satisfied?" the fox asked.

"Certainly." I replied, "This opens up a whole New World for me! But first, how do I get out of this place?"

"It's just a short swim through the pool." Euphoria instructed, "It'll take you back to the beach. So, you're leaving already?"

"Yes, I would like to try exploring for a bit." I nodded, barely able to contain my excitement.

"I'd tell you to be careful, but I'm sure you already know that one."

"And how about you, Euphoria?" I asked.

"I'll be staying around here a while longer." the Ninetales spirit said, "Just in case you need me. After all, my services come with a 90-day warranty. No refunds though!"

"I'll keep that in mind." I laughed. When I laughed this time, I realized that I still wasn't as happy as I expected myself to be.

Something in the back of my mind was bugging me. And it had nothing to do with formerly being a bug-type Pokemon.

* * *

**Kris **

I awoke to the sound of running water. I was briefly aware that I was lying on my back on the grass.

_Ow...my head is still spinning. And my back really aches too. What the heck have I been lying on? _

I shifted my hand slightly and realized my fingers refused to move.

_What the?! _

Heart pounding, I brought up my other hand and felt the same thing in it. I was afraid to open my eyes, but I finally decided to just get it over and done with. And that's exactly what I did.

At first, I thought there were two swords being pointed down at me. Then I realized they were mine. My own...claws.

_No way! _I thought. This had to be a dream!

I flipped myself up onto my feet, going faster than I normally would. I found myself staring down at them after that.

Green, three-toed dinosaur like ones. I also noticed that my face had pushed out in a snout-like muzzle.

I felt some new muscles on my back and stretched them. I turned my head to find a pair on mantis-like wings spread out to their full extent. Though I already knew, I slowly looked over my entire green-scaled body, slashed my sword-like claws about and thumped my head into several trees before I finally conceded.

_I'm a Scyther... _

But what the hell happened? I surveyed my surroundings. It was around mid morning and I was in a forest standing beside a small stream. OK, simple enough. Turning around, I saw that steep hill I'd fallen down from the night before. Only problem was that it seemed to stretch on and on, with no definite way to tell exactly one part from another.

Yeah, the storm last night. I ran off without thinking and I fell. But what after that? Had I died and been reincarnated? Heck, maybe I've always been a Scyther and I've just been dreaming about the human bit.

_NO! _I silently screamed, shaking the thought out of my head. _You won't take my mind away from me! _

I collapsed against a tree, realizing that all the thinking was actually hurting my head. Who had I been fighting with? Myself? No, it was some other instinct. Something I couldn't possibly understand.

I closed my eyes and tried to catch a few breaths. Then I sniffed, and whoa, the sensations that erupted into my mind.

My senses, hearing, smell, sight were far beyond what any human's could've been! I could hear and identify practically every background sound.

_There, that one's a Caterpie, that's Weedle, a Metapod, and a Spinarak. Amazing...if only the others could..._

Storm and the rest! Damn, I'd completely forgotten! They would've gotten up in the morning to find me missing!

"Firestorm! Jade!?" I yelled. Or at least, that was what I wanted to say. What came out of my mouth was "Ssccyyyy! Sssccyyy!?"

Then it hit me. That little fact about Pokemon speech. We Pokemon don't speak in human language normally.

_Did I just say that?! _ I asked myself.

"Ivysaur! Jolteon?! Riptide?! Any of you there?!" I desperately tried. The three Pokemon had been with me last night, but there was no reply.

_Shit! _I realized that I wouldn't be able to get any help from the human world if I couldn't communicate properlyNot like I'd want to get near any towns in my current condition: they'd probably start tossing Pokeballs at me, a rare and powerful Pokemon.

The thought of myself, a freak of nature, Scyther with a human's mind, forced to live the rest of my life out here filled me with a great sense of dread and despair. One that I'd never known before.

I soon realized my problems didn't go to that extent. There were much more impending dangers to worry about.

The faint rustling of leaves drew me away form my pondering. Too distracted by my own thoughts, I'd never heard them coming.

This was a wild Scyther swarm. I gulped as I looked around. I was surrounded, and the other Scyther saw me as only one thing.

An intruder.

* * *

**Nightslice**

It was a short swim out of the cave, just as Euphoria had said. I practiced balancing and walking along the beach for a while before moving on.

Things were actually looking up for me.

I was whistling to myself as I trekked through the forest.

Alugard and his band would be searching for a Scyther who no longer existed. Neither him, Team Rocket nor anyone else would recognize me for that matter.

Now, I could go about my own business, not having to worry about hurting anyone or any stupid prophecy. Dragon Gods and all were out of my world for good. I just needed something to get started with my new life.

I figured I should head to the nearest town and come up with some convincing story. I could easily say I was from some isolated island in the Orange Archipelago where they didn't have any way to sign up for trainer licenses and get one for myself.

_Then, I'll start training Pokemon myself. And they'll never know why I'll hit the tops in a record-breaking time! _

That thought made me laugh out loud.

_And maybe, if I find a nice quiet place to settle down, I'll sign up with the local gym and, hey, I might take over and become a Gym Leader. That'll be my personal ambition! _

Our friend, the Gym Leader Sabrina, told Kris that she certainly had potential for such an appointment, but of course, Kris had declined.

_Kris...I'll really miss you and all the others. But, please understand that it's a small price I have to pay. _

That was the only part that made me sad. Perhaps I'd met them again, somewhere, someday. The world isn't as big as it seems. I just didn't know how soon.

OK, maybe it was 5 seconds later when I heard the cries of distress.

They were Pokemon cries, but I still managed to pick them up, even with my dulled human senses. One was a Jolteon, an Ivysaur and a Golduck. And they were under attack by some other Pokemon making screeching sounds.

_No way! _I thought, _Too much of a coincidence. But...I just HAVE to know! _

After that embarrassing moment of trying to fly off, I took a deep breath and raced towards the sounds in an all out sprint.

My lungs were burning for air when I finally got there. From a distance, I observed the battle.

A Jolteon and Ivysaur were fighting against a Fearow and Pidgeot. Behind the former party lay a stunned Golduck, obviously having been surprised and thumped on his head. Although His companions seemed to be on the losing end, they were determined not to give up, fighting as if their lives depended on it.

Thinking of that, they probably did.

The Jolteon created a wall of electricity with his Thunder Wave, giving Ivysaur time to take cover behind him and charge a Solar Beam. The birds were stunned by the sudden electrical burst and Jolteon took the chance to just away, allowing Ivysaur to hit the birds dead on.

That was a team tactic Kris had come up with.

As the two birds fell, I noticed some metal sections on their wings gleaming in the sunlight.

Then, I knew it for certain. The birds were Stormwind and Firefly, two of my father, Alugard's, commanders. The other Pokemon were Kris' as well as my former comrades. The cyborg Scyther's party and ours were not at good terms with one another, so a fight between them was inevitable. And Kris was no where in sight.

It was crunch time.

Reveal myself to help them and lose all chances of starting a new life. Run away and sacrifice my friends to the mercy of these fiends.

But even if I did try to help, what could I possibly do?

Even as a Scyther, the two had beaten me into a pulp before. Unarmed, and as a human, did I even stand a chance?

I was backing away when I heard the voice in my mind.

_Victory without honor, is no true victory at all. _

Kris and learnt that from her Ninja master and passed it on to us.

_No matter what,_ I thought, _I have to try... _

I was currently standing on a slightly elevated position. And the birds had their backs towards me, far too intent on trashing the opponents. I took off in a run, building up my momentum and just behind them, I leapt.

All the birds saw were my fists flying into each of their faces.

I couldn't tell which group was more surprised at their mysterious attacker/rescuer. I landed neatly on my feet and coolly turned around.

"What?! Who are you?" The Fearow, Stormwind, asked furiously. He didn't really expect me to understand it and it came out more as a high pitched screech.

However, I was still able to understand a Pokemon language perfectly well.

"A friend of Kris'." I answered calmly, "That's all you need to know."

"Who is he?" Ivysaur asked from behind me, "He says he's Kris' friend."

"I don't think I've seen him before." Riptide groaned from his spot on the floor.

"I don't know either." Jolteon replied, "But there's something about him. His scent is sorta familiar, but I just can't seem to remember where..."

"Hey guys," I whispered, "please trust an old friend just this once. Especially if you wanna get of out this alive. I'll explain later."

All three looked up, surprised I could understand them, but they nodded in agreement.

"Ue! Shomen uchi!" I used one of Kris' Japanese commands, dropping down to my right knee, lowering the opposite shoulder and praying that my friends would listen.

I grinned as I felt Jolteon scramble up onto my shoulder. This was a move we'd practiced before. I heaved up as hard as I could, Jolteon in turn using my body as a springboard to propel himself up into the air.

The birds looked up, expecting an attack from above. Jolteon, however, was a decoy. I had already sprung forward and plowed into Firefly. Stormwind made the fatal mistake of turning towards his fallen comrade, so he didn't notice Jolteon's well timed Thunderbolt until it was too late, literally giving him a good shocking.

Wrestling the Pidgeot was no easy task. He was clawing furiously at me with his talons and beak, but I pressed myself close against his body so he couldn't effectively hit me. I got an arm around his neck and used my free hand to pluck at his wing feathers.

Such a technique was disallowed in a normal competition, but I knew that it would cause a decent amount of pain to the bird.

Ivysaur lashed out with his four vines, wrapping them around the bird's neck and wings and pulling him downwards. That was my cue to withdraw, but the Pidgeot managed to slap my face with his wing, knocking my sunglasses off and sending me sprawling onto the floor.

My head landed right beside Firefly's and for a moment, we were staring into each other's eyes.

With a distinct look of surprise on his face, Firefly tugged at the vines so hard that Ivysaur had to let go.

"Bro!" He yelled, "We have to leave, now!"

"What?!" Stormwind groaned, still trying to free his talon from Jolteon's jaws.

"That human...just come now! We have to tell the boss!"

"Fine then." The Fearow kicked Jolteon off and retreated together with his comrade, disappearing into the distant sky.

I collapsed to the ground, exhausted. I'd gotten more scratches and bruises than I could be bothered to count.

Jolteon came over and licked a few of my wounds. He was sniffing at me too, trying to determine my scent.

I wondered what Riptide sensed in me too. The blue duck had been trained by Sabrina to use his psychic talents to a greater extent, although they weren't too strong.

"Hey Jolteon," I said, stroking his head, "this will be hard to believe, but it is me."

"Erm...Nightslice? It that you?!" The electric Pokemon staggered.

I nodded slowly.

He pounced on me, knocking me onto my back and started happily licking my face.

"Yeow! Hey, I know! I'm happy to see you too."

"Now, just what the heck happened to you?" Ivysaur asked, walking over. "I know you're the descendant of a god and all that stuff, but now you're a human?"

"It's a long story." I muttered. "And if you're here, where's Kris?"

All three immediately fell silent.

"That's an even longer story." Riptide finally replied.

Ivysaur reached a vine out to me, handing me an object that I recognized as Kris' utility belt. I knew she always wore it, although it was hidden beneath her jacket.

As I searched through it, I realized it hadn't been properly stocked.

A few basic camping essentials, flashlight, a pocketknife, tranquilizer pistol, some cash and several Pokeballs. But that was it, no other electronic equipment whatsoever. I'd been hoping her cell phone would be in there.

I also noticed it had quite a bit of mud on it and multiple scratches. The buckle was broken too, as if the belt had been torn off.

"What happened?" I asked, grimly.

* * *

**Jade **

"Zzzzzz...zzzzz..."

"Jade! Wake up you FOOL!"

"Zzzzz...five more minutes mom..." I muttered.

"Dracia, you do it."

"My pleasure."

A spray of water immediately hit my face. I sprang to my feet.

"Ow! Yeah? Where is he? Let me at him!"

"Sit down!" Firestorm shoved me back down to the ground. "Kris is missing!"

"What?!" I glanced over towards her empty sleeping bag. "You sure she didn't just go looking for firewood or something?"

"For the entire morning?" Dracia asked. The Dragonair pointed up to the sun with her tail. "It's pretty darn bright already and she's the one who's usually waking us up before dawn."

"Besides, Kris left most of her equipment here." Firestorm muttered, poking through Kris' black jacket. "Looks like she only took her belt and a few Pokemon.

"Then what are you guys waiting for?" I asked, panicked, "She could be in trouble or something!"

"Cause...erm...we just woke up..." Firestorm muttered, embarrassed.

"Then go look for her, dumb dragon!"

"Grrrrr...idiot!" The Charizard growled.

He spread his wings and took off to a running start. Firestorm got about 5 feet into the air before he abruptly came crashing down, rolling head over tail and smacking down several trees at the end.

"Thanks for saving the trees." I muttered sarcastically.

"What the heck?!" he groaned, "My wings! I suddenly just felt like I'd lost all my strength."

"We'll just get the others then." I reached to pick up one of Kris' remaining Pokeballs and got a terrible ache in my fingers.

"Ow! What the?!" I yelled, dropping the Pokeball...right into the embers of the night's campfire.

Immediately, Wartortle burst out and furiously sprayed a jet of water at me. The second morning bath I'd gotten that day.

"Ow! Ow! HOT! HOT! HOT! Whatcha think you're doing?" The turtle yelped, jumping up and down angrily.

"Hey, relax Wartortle! I accidentally dropped it. Sorry!"

I flexed my fingers. My index and middle fingers simply refused to move independently of one another. Same thing for my fourth and fifth ones.

"I think I just caught whatever disease Kris had." I whispered, although it was still audible to the others.

"At least you're pretty much all right." Firestorm growled, "I feel crappy, totally drained of energy."

"Now, since when did we become 'Team Screw-up'?" Dracia asked.

"Shut up!" The rest of us yelled.

* * *

**Kris **

The first attack came without warning.

Reacting instinctively, I stepped aside so that he missed. Two more Scyther came at me, forcing me to block one with my blades and kick the other away. The one I'd previously blocked attacked again and I brought my claws up, locking mine with his.

A blow from behind sent me to the ground. I rolled clear just as a claw came stabbing down into the spot that I'd been lying on. I used a sweeping kick to take my opponent off his feet, sending him stumbling into another.

That may have been a small victory, however the pack just kept coming.

I'd been trying to look for an escape route, however everywhere I moved I seemed to be blocked off.

Little by little, I realized I was beginning to use less of my techniques and much more of raw animal instinct.

I dodged a Slash and rammed my head into one's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. I immediately swung a claw, whacking another with the flat side of the blade. Then I did a reverse flip over two Scyther that were trying to attack me, kicking them whilst in mid-air.

Inexperienced at using my new body, I landed slightly off balance. A shoulder bash sent me stumbling and a Wing Attack that followed that up sent me down on my knees.

My strength and stamina were rapidly draining. I wouldn't be able to go on much longer. Just when I was considering submitting myself to death, the attacks stopped.

I was left kneeling in the center of a circle formed by the swarm, panting and gasping like crazy. My muscles burned terribly. I could taste the blood in my own mouth and well as see the cuts all over my body.

I didn't even bother to try and guess their numbers.

_What's going on? _I wondered, _Why haven't they finished me off yet? _

Slowly, a Scizor stepped past the group of Scyther and into the circle.

He growled out something not literally translatable into English, but I got what he meant nevertheless.

The veteran warrior was impressed by my fighting ability. He was challenging me to a one-on-one battle.

_And I don't think they'll take 'no' for answer! _

* * *

_As bad as that situation looked then, things were about to get worse. Much worse... _


	3. Consequences

_Pokemon and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

* * *

**Consequences**

By nightdragon0

**Kris **

I looked my opponent right in the eye.

The Scizor stood ready, watching my every move. It was a rather large risk on his part, challenging me like this, in front of his swarm. Lose, and he'd be forever dishonored.

Unfortunately, him losing wasn't much of my concern. Keeping my head on my shoulders was more of the utmost priority. Knowing I lacked experience in fighting as a Pokemon, I assumed a defensive stance and waited for him to make the first move.

He finally broke the stare down, attacking with blinding speed.

Reacting swiftly, I sidestepped and slashed at him. The Steel warrior was able to twist his claws enough to block my attack. The force of impact pushed us apart.

Roaring, we clashed again, with similar results. Unfortunately, it was hurting me much more than him. Additionally, I still had the scars from the previous fights.

Deciding that a frontal assault wasn't effectively, the Scizor used Agility to try and get in a side attack. My response was to use Double Team, creating several images of myself to confuse him. The ploy did have him attack empty air in confusion.

I rushed in for what I thought would be a free hit, however I'd underestimated my opponent. Apparently I'd moved in a slightly different manner from the copies and he picked that up, probably through his years of experience.

A Metal Claw got me right under the chin. I staggered backwards and was immediately bombarded by a vicious series of attacks.

It was a furious claw to blade fight, but my stamina fell short in the end. I was smacked against a tree and had the Scizor's claw around my neck before I could do so much as blink.

In desperation, I swatted at him with my blades.

That only caused him to tighten his grasp, cutting off my air supply. As my face was beginning to go blue from the lack of oxygen, I saw him raising his other claw. The sharp, cutting edge gleamed in the sunlight.

Horrified, I wondered if he was going to quickly take my head off or slowly dismember me and watch me bleed to death.

Then, I heard the cry of another Scyther.

Though I was quite dazzled, it seemed like a warning cry to me. Immediately, the Scizor dropped me and the entire swarm disappeared just as quickly.

_They must've had sentries. _I though, _And_ _they'd spotted something! I've got to get out of here! _

Through weakened as I was, I forced myself up onto my feet.

No sooner had I done that, a cloud of foul smelling green gas covered the area. It was made even worse by my enhanced sense of smell.

I stumbled about blindly, coughing and gasping. I felt a prick in my side, then two more.

I'd been shot with tranquilizer darts!

Almost immediately, my feet gave way. I collapsed, unable to move my weary body anymore. My senses were failing, but I could still hear shouting.

Humans...and some Pokemon. A man walked up in front of me.

Even with my vision terribly blurred, I could still see the black colored uniform. And the red-colored alphabet printed on its front. I was hoping against hope it wasn't what I thought it was, but fate had not been so kind to me.

_No...NO! This...can't...be..._

Had I been spared from one death only to face another?

My world was fading out and the last thing I felt was the Pokeball being thrown against my back.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"This was it?" I asked.

The other Pokemon nodded.

I was looking at the charred remains of a tree that had most certainly been struck by lightning. Fortunately, Jolteon had both a good sense of smell and a good memory. He'd brought us to the last place they clearly remembered Kris being with them.

"Kris! Kris! Please answer me!"

Riptide shook his head, as if to tell me it wasn't working. Jolteon had been sniffing around for clues and suddenly came up with a weird expression on his face.

"I got her scent...but it doesn't seem right." He muttered, "Keeps on changing."

"Can you follow it?" I asked. I'd gotten a very bad feeling about the 'scent not right part'.

The electric Pokemon leapt over a fallen log and carefully treaded down the slope. As we followed, something caught my eye.

It was a piece of cloth. And a tattered one too. I grabbed it and turned it over several times, noting that it had been apparently ripped and torn off. It looked a lot like Kris' shirt, though I couldn't be sure.

"Jolteon, here." I held the rag out to him.

"It's got that scent again, but I can barely recognize it as Kris' now." He muttered, having trouble comprehending the situation.

Some marks on the dirt came to my attention. From personal experience, I clearly recognized the pair of long, single lines as Scyther claw marks. The Scyther seemed to have been sliding down the slope, dragging his claws in the dirt. Several chopped shrubs and short plants also hinted of this.

"Does it reassemble my scent? I mean, the Scyther me that is?" I finally asked.

From the look on his face, Jolteon's answer was 'yes'. As I'd already done so, Jolteon and the others had just put 2 and 2 together.

Kris...she'd become a Scyther. Just like I'd become a human. I was beginning to wonder whether it had anything to do with Euphoria's deal, but the time for debating that would have to wait.

"Kris!"

I took off running, stumbling more times than desirable, grasping onto tree limbs and anything else that would help get my balance back.

At the bottom of the slope lay a small, grassy area beside a stream. It seemed like a peaceful spot, but only to the untrained eye. What I saw was a battlefield: grass trampled, twigs snapped and scattered, plants bent at unnatural angles. It couldn't have been more than 20 minutes ago, I estimated.

"Over here!" Called Jolteon. He was sniffing at a spot around a nearby tree. "Kris was here...and so was a whole bunch of other Scyther."

_That wild Scyther swarm! _I realized, shuddering at the memory of my own encounter with them. I noticed the blade-shaped impressions in the grass too, indicating that Kris had been lying there, possibly having been knocked down.

"There were some humans and other Pokemon too." Jolteon said grimly, "Kris' trail stops here, but theirs goes off along that path." he pointed with his nose.

"Hey guys! Look at this!" Ivysaur retrieved a partially buried, shinny object with his vines.

Riptide took it in his webbed hands and examined it. Even from my distance, I could tell it was a bullet or dart of some sort.

"A tranquilizer dart." The psychic duck muttered. "With the 'R' symbol on it. Team Rocket..."

The scenario hit me all at once. Kris, confused and alone at suddenly having been turned into a Scyther, attacked by the wild swarm and kidnapped by Team Rocket after that.

"KKKRRIIISSSSS!"

Losing all sense of rational thinking, I dashed off in the direction Jolteon had pointed to.

_If those bastards dared lay a finger on her...I'm gonna hunt down every last one of em' and rip their guts out!! _

I ran till my lungs burned and my muscles ached. I realized I'd run out onto a beach, splashing into the waves. My body finally gave way and Jolteon pulled me back to shore. The other two where no where in sight, presumably still back in the forest.

Desperately, I stared out across the ocean. It seemed strangely empty, without a single boat or any other vehicle in sight.

"The trail...stops here." Jolteon said slowly.

I'd know it. My instincts had told me so. I just couldn't bring myself to admit it.

"KRIS! KRIS!" I screamed out over and over again. My voice fell across nothing but the empty ocean. "GODDAMMIT! WHY! WHY! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME??"

I don't really want to go into detail about every curse and swear word I was spitting out, but I kept that up like a madman until my voice was hoarse and my strength was absolutely drained.

Eventually, I collapsed to my knees, throwing off my sunglasses, weeping in pure despair and anger. I felt Jolteon brush up against my face and attempt to wipe away my tears with his paws, even though he was crying too.

My world...had simply been shattered.

* * *

**Firestorm **

"Damn, this is a really bad time to get sick...ugh..." I was close to puking my guts out. The wave of nausea hit me really hard and I coughed again, unintentionally spewing out flames.

"You doing all right?" Dracia asked, coming up beside me.

"No..." I groaned.

Although the trainer didn't look too good himself, Jade was running round packing up our equipment. Kris had just disappeared with three of her Pokemon, leaving practically all her equipment here. Including her cell phone and laptop, meaning we had absolutely no way to contact her.

Wartortle, Kris' last remaining Pokemon besides me, had gone out with Jade's Electabuzz and Ponyta. Ehrgeiz and Mirage, as they'd been named respectively, the latter of whom had been acquired in a trade for his Magmar.

The trio had returned and gave negative responses.

"Really, nothing?" Jade asked again.

They disappointedly shook their heads.

"You did your best guys, but I'm sure Kris can take care of herself." Jade reassured, "It may be bad to just leave like this, but Storm's come down with something and I'm not too good myself. We'd better get medical attention soon."

My heart sank, feeling utterly miserable at myself. Dracia snuggled her head against my shoulder in an attempt to cheer me up.

"Storm," Jade held up a Pokeball, "You'd best get in."

"No." I replied firmly, walking over and heaving the bulk of our equipment onto my back. "I'll be all right. Besides, you need me to carry these, or we won't get to town before the next ice age."

Jade knew better than to argue with me and acknowledged with a nod.

"But don't say I didn't warn you!" he called as an afterthought.

After climbing onto his Ponyta 's back, we set off.

_Kris...please be safe. _I prayed silently. _Riptide, Jolteon, Ivysaur...watch out for her, OK? _

Because, I had a really bad feeling about this.

* * *

**Nightslice**

It didn't take too long for Riptide and Ivysaur to catch up to us.

I was in absolutely no mood for talking, so I left the three to their own conversation. I wasn't even listening either. I sat down and kept playing the scene over and over again in my head.

_If I in my true body, I could've gotten to her in time! I wouldn't have had to stop and explain myself to the others! I could've... _

I was abruptly slapped across the cheek and looked up in surprise to see Riptide standing over me.

"Ow! What the F#&# was that for?!"

"To get you to your senses." He replied calmly, "Sitting here and pouting over what could've been won't help Kris now. Get back to the present first and then we can work it out!"

"He's a bit harsh on that," Ivysaur reached out a vine and handed me my dropped sunglasses, "But he's right."

Jolteon nodded and awaited my go. Everyone was looking up to me now and I couldn't afford to let them down. Unfortunately, I was quite lost myself.

"Yeah, you're right guys. Thanks. I just need to think." I said, trying to sound confident. I ran my hand across the sand, drawing some patterns on the beach.

"Wait a minute! The beach! It's near the cave! Euphoria!" I sprang to my feet. That was the only option I could think of. "We have to find her. Come on!"

No one argued with me as I led them down the beach. It took a while to get my bearings, but I recognized the rock formation which I'd previously seen nearby. Beneath was an underwater channel that led into the hidden cave. Soon, we emerged into the cavern and immediately started calling out her name.

"Euphoria! Show yourself!"

"I am here, my lord." The ghostly Ninetales materialized.

"I have something to discuss about our 'deal'." I growled, walking over to her.

"I..."

"And while we're at it, how about telling me about what you did to Kris too." I cut in. I would've strangled her if I could've physically touched the ghost.

"My lord, please..."

"Enough with your excuses already!" I shouted angrily.

"Calm down!" Ivysaur wrapped his vines around my arms.

"Kris' problem needn't be her fault." Riptide said.

I stopped, trying to get my emotions in place.

"Sorry..." I muttered.

"No," Euphoria said softly, staring at the ground, "It is my fault."

All heads turned towards her.

"Let me explain." she continued, "Do you remember during the battle at Silph Company, you and the girl stepped on a teleporter together? To be more precise, a slightly malfunctional one?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Both of you felt the electric shocks too, I assume. Well, the teleporter did not only function as one, but also as a somewhat DNA combiner, although a temporary one. And the shocks were physical symptoms of that."

"What the hell..." I cursed under my breath.

"When you first wanted me to change you into a human, I sensed this odd change in your body and probed your memories for the reason."

"So...I already had the DNA in my body?"

"Yes. I sensed it and it was almost too convenient. Although the temporary exchange of traits was beginning to fade away, I changed that. Your Scyther genes were stronger, but I accelerated the development of the few human ones with my powers and let them take over. Alas, I didn't consider the alterations in the flow of the Karma. I could only think of trying to please you, my lord."

"That's where we come to Kris, right?" I asked.

"Your friend, she was different." Euphoria acknowledged.

"Nightslice, we only found out later, but Kris is really part Scyther in a way." Jolteon told me.

"What?" I gasped.

"To be more precise, your birth was part of an experiment to enable an embryo to be fertilized and survive outside the body." Riptide explained. "When you, the first of their experiments to survive, finally hatched, they had what they needed. Kris's mother wasn't able to conceive, so they took what modified genes from you that had enabled you to survive the process, put them into the mix...and I suppose you can guess what happened after that. We can explain everything else to you later."

I just stood there, utterly stunned by the revelation.

"Haven't you noticed you and Kris have the same birth date, 18 January, just that it's 5 years apart?" Jolteon asked.

"Kris said that it was probably their way of celebrating their success." Ivysaur added in.

"Then...that practically makes her...my sister." I couldn't help but say aloud.

All this time, I'd felt like it was that way. I'd wanted it to be that way. And now that I had it...it was something else entirely. I also had to deal with the consequences.

"That and more." Euphoria nodded. "Kris already had the Scyther genes lying dormant within her. Added to the DNA combiner and my doing, her transformation was inevitable, yet beyond my control. I unbalanced forces even beyond my knowledge. Ancient magic and modern science were never meant to mix, but now that they have..."

"Chaos." I muttered. "But now, she's been take by Team Rocket. And I'm sure Alugard now knows I'm human. You have to undo this! Or at least, change me back to my true self."

Euphoria was silent for so long that I already knew her answer.

"I can do neither." She was in tears. "Never before have I seen humans and Pokemon bond as strongly. I want to help you find your sister too, but my powers are fading. Soon, I will no longer have any grip on the mortal realm. I'm...sorry, my lord. This was all a result of my own overconfidence."

"Don't be, Euphoria, it was my doing too." I spoke up. "It's time I stopped running and stood to face my world. I have to abide for my own actions as well."

"My lord...I understand now why you've chosen as you have. Your actions prove the vision you seek for the future. Not to destroy by conquest, but to unite."

"Euphoria..."

"Neither your goal nor you journey will be easy, but let me give you this."

I caught a small white crystal attached to a string. It was a beautiful pendant, modeled in the shape of a Ninetales' head.

"This is the last of my powers, a guide to help you seek out not only the Forbidden Skills, but also the rest of my peers, the Knights of Kaiser." Her voice was growing more distant now. "Watch for its glow."

We gasped as her image begun to fade away.

"One of the others will definitely be able to restore your true form, but be warned, they may not be very negotiable. They will likely want to test you. Seek out the Union Cave in Johto first."

"Thank you, Euphoria." I held out a hand to touch her shimmering image, "Rest now. You've waited a long time for it."

"Be well, my friends. Until we meet again..." With that, she vanished completely.

For a while, everyone was silent.

"So, are we really going then?" Ivysaur asked.

"Yes." I nodded firmly. "Jade and Firestorm will be all right, but I have my own quest now. So, let me ask you all, will you come with me?"

"Definitely!" Jolteon snapped.

"Don't be stupid, why not?" Ivysaur asked.

"Of course! Did you ever doubt us?" Riptide added in.

"One more thing. Ivysaur, Jolteon, I want you to pick names for yourselves." I smiled. This would be quite a show. "From a fellow Pokemon, I don't like just using your species name. I don't feel right doing that."

"Really?!" Jolteon asked, jumping up excitedly. "Then, I wanna be Luminair!"

"Hey, I wanted that one!" Ivysaur protested, "All right then. I'll be Ahsura."

"When did you all get into RPGs?" I muttered, a little disappointed that I didn't get a full-scale debate. "Well, ready team?"

My friends gave an affirmative response.

"Then, let's go." I turned around and put on my sunglasses. "I have to find my sister."

I begun to walk, making it look like a very dramatic exit... until the part where I tripped and fell face-first into the water.

"Shit!"

* * *

**Jade **

I soon decided that 'parading' around with all our Pokemon out was an unnecessary way to attract unwanted attention and recalled everyone except Firestorm and Mirage, whom I was riding.

The two fire types had the privilege of having their own private conversation, due to the fact that I wasn't too proficient in understanding Pokemon language. The Ponyta hadn't seen much action yet, something she constantly complained about, but I was sure that was soon to change.

We were riding down the road when I heard the melody. We stopped and listened for a while.

Up ahead, a musician sat with his Vaporeon under the shade of a tree, playing an odd-looking flute.

He was a pale-skinned man in his early twenties. His shoulder length hair was silver with blue streaks, and seemed to flap in the breeze in accordance with his tune. He was dressed completely in white too, except for a silver colored cloak with a hood over his white suit. The flute too seemed to be a seashell combined with a hollow stick.

And his song, it was beautiful. Very smoothing and strangely familiar too. Like I'd heard it somewhere before.

"Hello stranger." He looked up from his flute, "Anything I can help you with?"

I started, realizing I'd been so transfixed by the melody that I'd been staring at him.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you play such a wonderful song." I returned his smile as best as I could.

"Ah, your comments are much appreciated." He replied, "My name is Aigul. And this is Serac."

The Vaporeon looked up as the blue-eyed man offered his hand.

"I'm Jade." I said, climbing off my Ponyta to shake hands. "And that's Firestorm and Mirage."

I'd barely let go of his hand when my knees buckled over.

"Jade, you all right?" Aigul asked, catching me before I hit the ground.

"Yeah...just a little under the weather right now. So, perhaps if you could direct me to a nearby clinic, that'll be really helpful."

"Certainly, it's not..."

A growl from Firestorm cut his sentence short. The Charizard dropped the equipment he was carrying and begun to glance around for whatever it was that he'd heard.

"Storm, what is it?" I asked.

Firestorm finally pointed to a nearby bush and growled.

"Darn, spotted!" A familiar male voice cursed.

"Well, since what's done is done," A female voice followed that, "Let them prepare for trouble!"

_Aw shit, why these two clowns? _

"And make it double."

"To protect..."

Firestorm sent a flaming breath straight into the bush. Immediately, the two green-haired Rocket agents sprang up, screaming, running around in circles and trying to douse the flames on their white uniforms.

The Charizard simply couldn't control himself.

"Woohoo! I messed up their motto again!" He cheered happily, doing a little dance and ending with a 'V' for victory pose with his claws.

" Aaron and Scarlet!" I put on my most intimidating tone, "What do you two screw-ups want now?"

"You see, we missed the transport ship..." Aaron begun. Scarlet kicked him in the knee.

"Oh it doesn't matter!" She yelled, "We got demoted after you messed us up at Mount Moon and we're to make sure you pay for that!"

"Oh gee, I'm so sorry." I replied sarcastically, "So, cash or check?"

That made them even madder.

"Grrr...We'll show you, wise-cracker!" the pair pulled out their Pokeballs.

"Ha, throw all you want." I taunted, tossing Firestorm my vest, "I could beat you without Pokemon at all! Come on, let's rock!"

"Jade, what the hell are you doing?!" Firestorm whispered.

"Hey, they're mine! Don't interfere." I growled, annoyed.

Aaron's Golbat and Gastly materialized, followed by Scarlet's Nidorino.

" Nidorino, Horn Attack!" Scarlet ordered.

With a roar, the poison Pokemon lowered its horn and charged.

_Ha, that all? _

I stood my ground, grinning.

"Jade!" Firestorm yelled. He was either too weak or too far away to do anything, not like it mattered anyway.

As the horn came at me, I caught it firmly with both hands and pushed back. I heard everyone else gasp as Nidorino's upper body was lifted up. Nidorino's eyes went wide.

"What?! Impossible!" Aaron gasped.

"Oh, this?" Placing one hand around the Pokemon's neck, I lifted it up, swung it round a few times and flung it into its companions, sending all down in a large heap. "And now for the trash." I turned towards the Rockets, cracking my knuckles.

The startled agents were reaching for their weapons, but I didn't give them time for that. I charged, punching Scarlet in the face and sending a back thrust into Aaron's stomach. Grabbing Scarlet by the hair before she hit the ground, I swung her into Aaron.

Both cried out in pain and shock as they fell.

A purple fog shrouded the area and I realized it was the Gastly. Bad news because physical attacks wouldn't harm the gaseous Pokemon. The other Pokemon were recovering as well.

"Mirage! Storm! Hit the Gastly with some flames!" I ordered. "Now!"

I felt the flames rush past me as I approached my opponents at a frightening pace. Next thing I knew, I was caught up in a wild adrenaline rush, throwing punches and kicks at an insane rate. My enemies were simply too stunned to strike back.

"No way..." Scarlet muttered, rubbing her sore chin. Aaron was just staring, mouth opened with his jaws practically hitting the floor.

Satisfied, I somersaulted backwards.

"Storm, how about doing the honors?"

"Errm...right!" The Charizard caught himself. "Mega Quake!"

Storing the Earth's energy into his fists, Firestorm unleashed one of his Sacred Skills, sending a huge fissure towards the fallen Team Rocket group. The huge explosion that resulted from that sent them flying off into the distance.

"Wwwaaaaaaaaa...Team Rocket's blasting off again!!"

"Ace guys!" I commented.

It was then that I realized what I'd done. Beaten up a group of Team Rocket agents and Pokemon with my bare hands. With techniques I couldn't possibly know, let alone use properly. And considering my not so excellent physical condition, it was theoretically impossible.

"What's...happening to me?" I muttered, dropping to my knees.

_I'm not this strong or agile. And I've never been this violent before..._

"Jade..." Firestorm was saying something, but I wasn't paying attention.

"Jade!" The Charizard ran over to me, "Jade! You have a tail!"

"Storm, are you kidding?! I..."

"Oh yeah, watch this then!"

Firestorm yanked something and I immediately felt a sharp pain at my butt.

"Ow! What the?!" I turned my head...and found myself staring at my tail! "What the hell?!"

It was an orange Charizard-like tail, although slightly smaller and thinner. It had ripped a neat hole through my jeans. Dumbfounded, I moved it around and watched as its tip burst into flames.

"When did I get it?" I staggered.

"You didn't hear? During the battle, the ripping sounds and all that?"

"No way! This...must be a dream or something, right?"

"Let's see." Firestorm stomped his foot down on my tail.

"Argh! Storm! That hurt you bastard!"

"It's real all right." Firestorm muttered.

"Storm, you gotta help me! Do something!"

"Just because I'm a descendant of Harasalt doesn't mean I automatically know how to do everything."

"Harasalt, the Dragon God of Light? As in the legends?" Aigul's voice came from over at the side.

I wanted to slap myself. I'd completely forgotten that he'd been standing right there and we'd gone on babbling about our secrets. Not to mention showing off a whole lot of other things.

"The Dragon Gods are reawakening then?" Aigul asked, walking over with Serac.

"You...you know about that?" I inquired.

"Stories from my village elders. My people have always been close to the spiritual sides of the world. We seek out the ancient knowledge lost in today's modern times." he told us, "I believe there is much we need to talk about."

"Yeah, it is a long story." I nodded.

"Hmmm..." Aigul knelt down and took hold of my tail, "A most fascinating phenomena. One that depicts further study."

"Excuse me, I'm not anybody's lab rat." I growled.

"My apologies. I didn't mean it in an insulting manner."

Serac and Mirage stared at each other in confusion.

"Jade, do you know about the fire attacks just now?" Firestorm asked.

"You guys helped out with that one."

"No. We were too baffled to do anything until right at the end of the fight." Firestorm shook his head. "I don't know what you saw it as, but you spit the flames out from YOUR mouth."

Surprisingly, that revelation wasn't as shocking as the ones before. Still, I'd probably gotten more than enough shocks in the past five minutes.

"I dunno, it's like you're somehow turning into a Charizard or something." Firestorm continued, rubbing his chin.

"WHAT?!" I yelled, "There's NO way I want to become a fat, ugly, stupid, bad breathed, dino-brained dragon like you!"

"We'll see who has the last laugh on that one." He calmly replied.

Aigul stood silent, obviously with a lot on his mind, but not wanting to voice any of it.

As much as I hated to admit it, I though Firestorm was right.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"So, it's this one, right?" I asked, comparing the map and the building in front of us.

"Yes, definitely." Riptide said. "Fuchsia City Gym."

I clenched a fist and walked up to the door of the Japanese building. Right now, I needed some help and I felt this was the only way I could get any. Kris was a childhood friend of the leader, Koga. I'd personally seen the Ninja only once, briefly during the attack on Silph Company.

The others had given me some additional information and I'd come up with a way to convince the gym leader to help me. At least I hoped I had.

"Hello?" I asked, banging a fist on the door. "Anybody there?"

When there was no reply, I tried the handle and found the door unlocked. I cautiously pushed it open and stared down the dark corridor.

"Hello?" I called again. I had one hand on the tranquilizer pistol, although not my ideal weapon of choice, certainly better than none.

"This smells like a trap." Jolteon... Luminair muttered.

"I know. But I have to go. For Kris."

Using what knowledge I had of detecting traps, I examined the immediate area and carefully stepped inside.

_They do not want to make this easy..._

Walking down the corridor, I heard a soft click and immediately jumped, shoving the others back. Though it seemed as if nothing had happened, I reached forward and found myself tapping an invisible wall. Just one of the many traps set up throughout the dojo.

A growl from Luminair alerted me to yet another impending danger. I heard it too, the whirl of metal objects cutting through the air. I rolled towards the left and sprang into a defensive stance, narrowly avoiding the rows of shurikens that imbedded themselves in the wooden flooring.

"Impressive reflexes." A female voice spoke.

I turned to face an attractive female Ninja in an electric pink outfit. A bit of an odd color choice, I thought, but at least it had given me some confirmation to her identity. Koga's younger sister.

"You must be Ia." I said, still holding my stance, "I don't mean to sound rude, but I must speak with your brother immediately."

"For what purpose?"

"A friend of his, Kris Invorce, in grave danger. I am a friend who wishes to help her."

The girl hesitated, unsure of what course of action to take.

"Please, just pass him this message. He'll know." I said with more resolution in my voice. "I'll wait outside if..."

"No, please come this way." She gestured. "I will get my brother for you."

My party was led into a Japanese style waiting room with two couches. The door behind us immediately slammed shut.

"What the?" I gasped, spinning around. Only then did I realize my mistake and turned my attention back to Ia. Unfortunately, the Ninja had already disappeared, the only other door on the far side slamming shut as well.

I cursed my own stupidity for letting my guard down. However, I also had to take point and gave some silent commands to the Pokemon. Luminair, Ahsura and Riptide took defensive positions, ready to fight.

Anxiously, we awaited what they had in store for us.

* * *

**Kris **

The haze surrounding me finally lifted.

I was lying on some cold metal surface. The whole place seemed to saw back and forth until I realized it was the sea. This was a boat and the waves were brushing against it as it sped through the water.

Memories came back...not very promising ones. Ones of this nightmare. I was still Scyther; I could feel the claws and my wings.

Finally I gathered up the strength and courage to open my eyes. The sight that greeted me was something I never wanted to see ever again.

I was in a cage, stashed in the cargo hold of an unknown ship. All around, cages filled with many other Pokemon lined the walls and shelves. All doomed to a horrible future, whether they knew it or not.

I could actually understand them too. The few legible words that were spoken basically reassembled those of a bunch of inmates being shipped off to the nearest jail.

There were three Team Rocket members standing nearby, two men and a younger woman. All three had their caps pulled low, so I couldn't see their faces.

"Look, its awake." One of the men noticed me getting up.

"Good, at least we know you didn't kill it with too much drugs." His male colleague said.

"Well, how was I supposed to know? The logistics guy was on leave."

"You still pumped it with the whole bloody syringe. And how many CCs was that? Heck, even I don't know!" The guy shook his head. "It just isn't cost efficient to kill em' after all the trouble we went through."

"OK, time out boys!" the woman cut in. "That's the only Scyther we got today and they're pretty much in demand. Better start taming it now."

"You're asking us?" The first man asked.

"Well, you're the guys."

"Oh, fine then."

I tried to look intimidating and growled menacingly as he approached.

"Hey, take it easy there." He frowned, reaching of a bundle of keys. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, whichever you like it."

"Grrrr...just try it tough guy!" I threatened, although he clearly didn't understand me.

I waited until the lock clicked open, then snapped at his fingers with my teeth, causing him to jump back in pain.

"Ow! Damn! You'll pay for that!" He cursed.

"Don't blame your own mistakes on the beast, it doesn't know any better." The other male laughed. "Besides, with a face like yours, I'd want to chew your hands off too!"

The Rocket turned back to yell at his colleague. Examining the door and taking into account my own anatomy, I came up with a course of action. With the tip of my claw, I carefully lifted the latch on the outside of the door and pushed it away. I waited till the Rocket came back within range, then kicked the door open. The agent cried out in surprise as the metal door slammed into his face.

With a triumphant roar, I leapt out and attacked the other man before he could do anything, slashing him across the face and knocking him down.

_Now, just the girl and I can get... _

I never even saw it coming. All of a sudden, pain simply exploded into my brain. I was both tasting my own blood and seeing it in my field of vision. The whip crackled as the female agent withdrew it.

"Hurry! Restrain it!" she yelled.

I tired to run, but the barbed whip caught me on my left thigh, cutting through to the flesh beneath my thick hide. I stumbled forward and was immediately lashed again and again along the back, disabling the use of my wings.

Screaming out in pure agony, I slashed around blindly, my vision hampered by the blood in my eyes.

A thin wire loop was thrown around my neck and another around my mouth. The torment intensified as both were pulled back, sealing my mouth shut and choking me at the same time. I was forced to move with them or risk having the sharp wires cut my throat open.

I was desperately trying to balance when the whip was lashed against my ribs. As thick as a Scyther's scales were, they certainly didn't help much.

I was continuously whipped in the chest, making it even harder to breathe. Before I knew it, more wires were around my arms and being pulled back. The men twisted my claws at an angle where I couldn't bend them to cut the wires.

In desperation, I tugged hard with my head and neck, not caring about the consequences. Somehow, that managed to de-stabilize the two men with the wires in each of their hands. I heard both cry out as they fell.

In spite of my blurred vision, I saw the light from the exit up ahead. Making a mad dash, I got five steps before the whip attack to my back took me down again. I was lashed again as I struggled to get up.

I don't know how long I struggled for, but the female Rocket was still lashing me with the whip.

"No!" I cried out in anguish, "Please...stop. I beg you! PLEASE!"

However, still speaking in Pokemon tongue, no one understood me.

As I looked up at the female Rocket, I found myself staring at...me. Not literally of course, but a vision of myself, back when I was in Team Rocket.

I saw myself, with the whip, lashing away mercilessly.

"No..."

Firestorm...back in Team Rocket, I'd done much of this to him. I'd put him through this by my own hand.

_Storm...was I...this kind of a monster? I'm...so sorry...my friend. You hid...your emotional scars so well...you always smiled. You said to forget it, it was all in the past. And I...I took it..._

My senses were beginning to fade away into darkness. I silently beckoned the blackout to relieve me of this torture.

_I...should've...known... Firestorm... _

* * *

_I've heard they say you can never truly understand what someone has been through till you've stepped into their shoes. How painfully right they are... _


	4. Worlds Apart

_Pokemon and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

* * *

**Worlds Apart**

By nightdragon0

**Firestorm **

I sat watching Jade pace around with an unnatural sense of anxiety, nervously twitching his Charizard tail behind him.

Our group had moved a little further off the road so we wouldn't be seen by anyone else. We'd found a nice spot on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Between Jade and myself, we'd told Aigul the whole story. The young man had been respectfully silent throughout, although he showed distinct interest in it.

Currently, the two of them were discussing about what to do next while us Pokemon; Mirage, Serac and myself lay around.

"So, you traveling with Aigul?" I asked Serac, lying by herself under a tree.

The Vaporeon looked up for a while, then nodded.

"She's a little shy." Mirage whispered to me. "Doesn't look like the talkative type either."

The Pontya trotted over to her and bent her head low. I saw the silent Vaporeon giggle and strained to hear what they were saying.

"Sorry, girls only!" Mirage waved me off by cocking her head to the side.

_Jeez, there's just no figuring a female! _

So, I turned my attention to Jade and Aigul instead.

"You sure about that?" Aigul was asking.

"Yeah definitely. I have an uncle on Cinnabar Island who's into this kinda genetic stuff. Besides, the old man still owes me a favor or two. He'll help out."

"Seems like you've made your decision then."

"Yes. I hate leaving without Kris and the other Pokemon, but I've got to do something before I end up looking like the big bad-breathed dragon here."

I was about to respond to that when I heard a roar from behind me. I could tell that it was a pretty large creature. And it was also right behind me.

Growling, I jumped out of the way just it case it was larger than I was. Just in time too, as the huge mass of an Ursaring came charging out from the cover of the forest.

However, it hadn't been aiming for me, but the humans instead.

"Watch out!" I yelled.

Aigul was fast enough to dash clear. Jade, however, stumbled and took a full blow from the massive bear. With a cry of pain, he went over the edge of the cliff.

"Jade!" I roared. Spreading my wings, I dashed for the cliff. I was so focused on helping him that I forgot I wasn't high enough to evade my opponent.

The Ursaring slashed my across my chest, leaving a pair of long, bloody marks. Roaring in pain, I hit the ground clutching the wound. Then my opponent was upon me, having leapt onto my chest. That probably cracked a couple of ribs, considering the searing pain that erupted into my brain, but even then, I reacted and caught his killer jaws as he was going for my neck.

It was strong and I desperately shoved with all I had to keep his dagger-like teeth away. I dug my claws into the flesh around the snout. It caused him jerk back a little, enough for me to get the correct angle and blast him with the deadly flames from my mouth.

It staggered back, grasping its burnt shoulder, and was immediately assaulted by Mirage and Serac. Mirage charged and kicked its chest with her hooves while Serac clambered up onto its shoulder and bit down.

"Go help Jade!" Aigul yelled from across the battlefield. "We'll take care of things here!"

Nodding, I ran towards the cliff edge. I saw Aigul attempting to get to Jade's backpack, which contained the other Pokeballs. The Ursaring threw Serac off and fired a Hyper Beam. The breath attack barely missed Aigul, but caused a small explosion that threw him down.

"Storm! Aigul! Help me!" I heard Jade yell.

Running faster, I looked over the side of the cliff to see Jade clinging onto a tree limb for his all his was worth. He was too far down for me to reach, but I noticed something else that almost made me laugh.

I heard a scream and turned to see the Ursaring strangling Mirage in a chokehold.

"Mirage!"

"Arrgghh! Help...can't breathe!"

That was when Ehrgeiz burst onto the scene. Jade's recently named Electabuzz rammed the bear from behind, causing it to drop the exhausted Pontya.

"That's no way to treat a lady!" He growled like a knight in shinning armor.

He let lose with his Thunderbolt attack. The shocked Ursaring only got even angrier and turned its attention towards him instead. Ehrgeiz met his enemy head on, engaging in a vicious pushing and shoving match.

"Hey what are you waiting for Storm?! Help!" Jade shouted again. I'd forgotten about him.

"I'm...not seeing things, am I?" I asked myself, taking another look at him.

"Does me hanging off a cliff about to fall to my death look like one of your fantasies!?" Jade yelled, starting to get pissed. "OK, maybe it is, but just HELP ME ANYWAY!!"

I was sure of it now. He had claws now, though they were in five digits instead of a Charizard's three. And he had something else too...

"Jade," I told him, "Those things growing out of your back happen to be called 'Wings'!"

* * *

**Kris **

A nauseating feeling brought me back to consciousness. So far, I'd been getting major shocks and setbacks every time I'd opened my eyes and I was beginning to dread waking up in this state.

First thing I noticed was that I was lying on my stomach in a smaller cage in a different room. Expected, considering Team Rocket would usually keep the 'disobedient and rebellious' Pokemon away from the rest.

I could see some blurred object at my snout and realized it was a muzzle. My claws too were tightly bound and tied behind my back. I could feel some other leather straps around my body and I guessed they were to immobilize my wings.

Unable to even stand up, I squirmed and struggled about for a while until I felt it was a futile effort. Using the bars of the cage to try and get the muzzle off wasn't much help either. After I nearly suffocated myself when I accidentally moved a section of the muzzle's straps over my nose.

Utterly depressed, I lay back down to accept my fate. Would I spend the rest of my life trapped in a Pokemon's body, condemned to work as Team Rocket's slave? I forced myself not to think about that.

And my wounds ached badly too. The cuts probably hadn't been cleaned as they'd immediately secured me and tossed me into the cage.

_Great, maybe they'll just get infected and I'll die. _

I froze, hearing the sound of a door opening. My sense of smell told me it was the female Rocket from earlier on even before I saw her. The same one who'd whipped me up badly.

I didn't know what I felt as she walked over and knelt down beside the cage.

"Oh, you're awake. Are you all right?" She asked, reaching out to touch my head.

I pulled my head away, doing my best to growl with the muzzle on.

"Yeah, I guess you recognize me." She sighed. "And you probably hate me too. But please, if you can understand, I'm really sorry about that."

From the tone of her voice, she did sound pretty sincere about it. I'd been avoiding meeting her gaze up till now, and I looked up at her. Now without her cap on, I could clearly see her face. And I was surprised, really, because she wasn't too old, probably 15 to 16 years.

Still, I'd been younger when I joined Team Rocket, just that I looked much older than I really was.

She was slim and yet looked strong, with her black hair coming down past her shoulder level. Her brown eyes showed nothing of any forms of trickery, but I wasn't ready to make any conclusions yet.

"Those other two guys there really suck up to my supervisor, so I've gotta act tough in front of them." She looked at me and laughed slightly. "Last thing I need is another pay cut. I've got a huge debt to pay off, thanks to that stupid old bastard of a father I had."

I watched her with interest as she got up and paced around the cage, always keeping one hand on top of it.

"Damned old man." She continued, "He kept on loaning money from Team Rocket for his research. Finally, he borrowed too much and never was able to pay back his debts. They took him out, permanently. And my mom was even more idiotic, killing herself in heartbreak over the damned old fool. So naturally, they took me of course. So here I am working to pay off my family's debts."

_That's one of the more tragic TR stories, _I thought, _but certainly up to their alley. _Although I had no way to say anything to her.

"Oh yeah, I came here to clean those wounds of yours." She knelt down beside me and pulled a small and some cloth out of the pouch strapped around her waist. She carefully poured some of the liquid onto a piece of cloth.

"OK, this is gonna hurt a little."

_Wait a sec! _I sniffed, _Iodine solution!? Shit, that's gonna hurt a lo... _

I immediately felt the sting of the antiseptic solution. My human side knew it was to clean the wounds, but my Pokemon instincts told me to scream and run. Since I was able to do neither of the latter two, I struggled about wildly.

"Calm down. Just a little longer." The girl used her free hand to hold the back of my neck down. I'm sure she must've also seen my eyes go wide and heard my muffled cries.

Finally, she was done with the iodine and started putting a bandage in place.

"There, not so bad right?" She put on a smiled while she worked. However, it quickly faded. "I don't want to be working here, ever. Someday, I'll pay off everything, then I'll be out of here, living my own life and not caring about some mistake my godforsaken old man made."

_Getting out of this organization is the hard part girl. I was good and probably lucky too. _I said silently. I was actually beginning to be able to relate to this girl's story. _Except that I brought the whole mess upon myself, by myself. _

"But I don't really think I can say the same for you." She sniffed, her eyes tearing up. "I really don't know what they're gonna do with you, but it'll most likely be a hard life for you too. But who knows, maybe you'll be free someday too."

"I don't think I can help you out either, even though I want to." She said sadly, packing the rest of her items up.

"I can barely take care of myself now. The world's harsh and it's every man for himself."

That sounded a lot like myself in the early days. The excuse I used to give my friends about why I joined Team Rocket.

She then stood up and looked down at me, shaking her head.

"Heh, here I am now, spilling my guts to a wild Scyther." She laughed, wiping her face. "You probably don't even understand me. In some ways, it may be better too. I just needed to get something off my chest. After all, I don't get a chance to apologize to all the Pokemon I have to whip up."

The girl begun walking towards the door, but took one last look back at me.

"Oh, by the way, my name's Nala. Not like it'll matter to you anyway. Goodbye then...maybe somehow, we'll see each other again."

Then, the door closed and she was gone. I was left alone again.

However, a new batch of emotions had flooded into me. Many that I couldn't really explain. But the one thing I knew was that I had to fight on. I didn't know if my friends would ever find me, so I had only myself to rely on.

This was my new reality...and I was stuck in it.

* * *

**Nightslice**

The attack came without warning. A set of darts flying out of a hidden section on the wall. Luminair instantly blasted them to bits with his Thunderblot, with Riptide doing likewise with Psychic.

A hidden section opened and a trio of Golbats came out in an attack formation.

"Sleep Power 'em!" I told Ahsura.

The Ivysaur complied, sending all three on an express ticket to dreamland, their limp forms hitting the floor with a thud.

While the automated defenses kept going, a pair of masked Ninjas appeared.

Gesturing for the Pokemon to keep back, I readied myself. I was unarmed, but I was still confident of taking them out. After all, I was sure they'd never encountered a human with a Scyther's fighting experience.

One attacked immediately, rushing forward. I sidestepped slightly and moved into his position, so I was right next to him. I brought my forearm up, right into his face, causing him to stumble over.

I ducked as the other one stung something at my head from behind, and used a low backward thrust to take his feet out from under him.

That was when I saw Luminair slip up. He'd taken a hit from one on the darts and didn't seem to notice the new set of shurikens flying towards him.

"Luminair! Watch out!" I yelled.

It was too late for him to react, but I still could. Taking a running start, I jumped and swung my left hand into the path of the flying stars, forgetting that it was no longer a sword-like claw.

Time seemed to slow to a stop. It looked like I was going to end up with a severe cut, but in the split second before they made contact, I saw my hand change back to normal. Normal as in my Scyther claw, that is.

I heard the clang as my claw sliced the throwing stars into pieces. Then, time sped up again as I rolled over, with my hand back to a human one. I accidentally pressed my left palm onto a stray spike, causing me to cry out in pain.

"Stop! Now!" A voice ordered.

Immediately, all the traps discontinued their assault.

The locked door finally opened and a black-haired man stepped into the room. The two Ninja's bowed to him, then quickly left after the gestured for them to do so.

It was Koga, the Ninja master I'd been seeking.

"I'm sorry, but I had to test you first to see if you were sincerely trustworthy." Koga said, walking over. "When I saw you taking the blow for the Jolteon like that, I knew it to be true."

"Excepted it." I muttered, clutching my bleeding left hand. "It was good practice anyway, so no hard feelings."

"Indeed. And I believe we both have some explaining to do." He nodded, offering a hand to help me up. "But let's get you to the medical bay first."

* * *

**Jade **

WINGS?! I had wings?! It was getting from bad to worse.

But since I had them, might as well see if they worked. My wings responded to my commands and I flew up, landing beside Firestorm. My hands were staring to become claws too, making me look like some freaky cross between a human and a dragon.

"Now, you're a fine sight indeed." Firestorm laughed.

"Shut up." I muttered, "I'm the one who's supposed to making the jokes around here."

"Excuse me," Aigul waved, pointing to the battle, "but I believe that they need help!"

No sooner had he said that, Firestorm was already there, charging into the distracted Ursaring and hitting it from the side. The bear turned to attack him, but Firestorm blocked the Slash and counterattacked with several punches. Ehrgeiz soon joined in the punching match.

Although it was no easy task, together the Charizard and Electabuzz drove their opponent back towards the edge of the cliff. The Ursaring sensed their plan and furiously roared, pushing against them in spite of the punches and slashes it was receiving.

"Persistent Bastard!" Firestorm cursed.

A random swing suddenly knocked Ehrgeiz over. Firestorm immediately jumped back and let loose with his Flamethrower.

_It's far too strong to be just a wild Pokemon. _I thought.

I knew I had to help. And this time, I actually could. I held out my hands and focused, feeling a fiery power build up within me. A fireball formed in my hands, ready for action.

"Storm! Fire in the hole!" I yelled, tossing the fireball with all my might.

Firestorm complied, gracefully leaping aside as my attack got the Ursaring right in the eyes. It gave one final cry of fury before topping over the cliff.

The Charizard watched solemnly as it hit the ground. He gave me a nod and flew down, probably to examine the body. He was clutching his bleeding chest, although trying not to show that it hurt.

I collapsed as Aigul approached me.

"Jade? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, sort of." I replied. "If you call this all right."

Through exhausted and injured, the rest of the Pokemon came towards us. And I knew that was pretty much to stare at me in amazement. Dracia choose that moment to pop out and came hovering over.

"Hey Jade, what happened to you?" The Dragonair asked.

"Don't ask."

"I just did."

"Hey people!" Firestorm came flying back, saving me from having to continue the conversation. "Take a look at this."

The Charizard opened his palm and showed us a small device.

"I think it's a communication device of some sort." I said, taking it for a closer look.

"It was stuck in that Ursaring's ear." Firestorm spoke, confirming my suspicions.

"High technology within a not-so usual Pokemon." I muttered.

"Which means Alugard's involved in this." Dracia concluded.

Alugard. Nightslice's father, leader of a highly intelligent Pokemon renegade group. And also one of our greatest enemies. As of yet, that was. It was hard to tell where his true intentions were, but they usually didn't meet ours very well. And practically all our confrontations in the past had ended in fights.

It was hard to believe, but if I could swallow the whole Dragon Gods thing and now, turning into Pokemon and stuff, then this wasn't much of a problem.

"That seems to be the best possibility." I agreed. "And it also means that we should get moving. Kris and the others are still missing, and I don't think I'm in the mood to go tangling around with his bunch.

"At least the big brown bear's dead." Firestorm said, pointing over the cliff, "So he won't be passing anymore information around."

"Unless you want to go flying, the fastest way to Cinnabar Island is by ferry. However," Aigul carefully ran his hand along my newly formed wings, "people are easily frightened by what they see."

"He's got a point." Dracia nodded.

"Storm's still a little under the weather, so I don't want to make him fly all the way." I said.

"I can take it...ugh..." Firestorm insisted, before he started coughing, spewing out flames randomly.

Everyone jumped back several feet to avoid being scorched.

"No you can't." Dracia scolded. "And the fights haven't been doing good for you either."

"But..."

"Sit down and shut up!" She yelled.

"Yes, ma'am!" Firestorm replied meekly, cringing.

"Fortunately, the solution is simple." Aigul suddenly spoke.

Everyone turned towards him as he pulled off his cloak.

"It so happens that people are also easily deceived by what they don't see."

* * *

**Nightslice**

I carefully examined the shinny, polished blade as I walked along the forest trail.

Just a few hours since I'd left the Fuchsia Gym and I was already beginning to feel nervous. In those few hours, I'd made a lot of decisions about what I was going to be doing from now on. And not all of those were pleasing ones.

After getting my wounded hand cleaned up and bandaged, I'd sat down with Koga and told my whole story. About Kris, Firestorm, the others and myself. What we'd been doing and what we'd been through. And the recent events.

I really didn't know what he thought of it, but he was patient and listened to every part until the end. I broke down and cried at that point, feeling that the whole mess was my fault. Of course, he'd tried his best to comfort me.

Koga had in turn told me that his fellow Gym leader Sabrina, another of our allies, had contacted him several days earlier. She'd had a vision about a strange disturbance in his area and requested him to await the coming of 'a stranger who was a friend, a human who was not'.

It was about me, of course.

Koga had agreed to help me on my journey. He not only provided me with some travel supplies, but also booked me a train ticket from a nearby place called Sunny Town to Cherrygrove City in Johto. I knew that I'd never be able to repay him, but he'd simply reminded me that 'no matter what, we'd always have friends.'

Both Sabrina and himself would be keeping their eyes peeled for anything that could help me.

As a final request, I asked for a weapon. A sword, something I felt more comfortable with than using the tranquilizer gun. He'd given me the look of a father whose child had just asked for something very expensive, but he still brought out the sword that I was now holding in my hand.

It was a beautiful design, a well-made blade with a black and red handle in the shape of a dragon. Looking at it brought my mind back to the time when I'd lost control of the Knight Blazer and attacked Kris, shattering her sword.

I pushed the thought aside and concentrated on the present.

So here I was now, Pokeballs on my belt, backpack on my back, sword by my side and a long journey ahead.

_Kris, just hang on. Somehow, someway, I'll find you again. And then, I'll make Team Rocket pay! _

My fists clenched automatically. Still, Koga's final words of advice to me came back into my mind.

_"Don't let the anger control you. Vengeance may be sweet, but it too cuts both ways." _

At that moment, I stopped. I was sure I'd heard a sound. At first, it was just the chittering of the forest insects. However, I waited until I heard it again.

It was a girl and she was screaming for help.

* * *

**Jade **

"Thanks a lot for your help Aigul." I said as I leaned on the railing at the ship's starboard side.

"Think nothing of it." He smiled, "After all, it seems I've gotten myself into quite some adventure here, so I am obliged to do something."

"You know, that sounds a lot like me when I first hooked up with Kris."

I had managed to hold my wings down, under my arms, and cross them around my chest level. Aigul had loaned me his cloak, which I'd put on to hide the wings, and gloves on my hands to hide my claws. The tail had proved difficult, but I'd managed to control it enough and keep it still, hidden in my pants, without burning them. Aigul had gotten the tickets and now, we were on the ferry headed for Cinnabar Island.

The ship had a mini Pokemon Center set up below deck and I'd left Firestorm there for treatment. With the other Pokemon back in their Pokeballs, Aigul, Serac the Vaporeon and myself had gone onto the deck for some fresh air.

As we stood on the deck, enjoying the breeze, Aigul got out his seashell flute and begun to play a song.

"That was 'Melodies of Life', from Final Fantasy 9." I gasped, "It's really good."

"Thank you. I haven't really been practicing that one much." Aigul admitted. "But listen to this one, which is a Lapras melody."

He played another pleasing tune, which really did reassemble the song of the Lapras.

"You ever tried a Dragonair's song?" I asked, releasing Dracia.

"Hmmm...let me see if I can catch on." Aigul said, taking up his flute.

"Dracia, would you mind giving our friend a little melody to follow?"

"Finally, someone who appreciates my musical talent." The Dragonair whispered, winking. "Try this."

She sang several notes and allowed Aigul to follow. He caught on very quickly and soon, Aigul was playing a near perfect imitation of the Dragonair's song.

"I'm really impressed." Dracia admitted once he was done, "For a human, you're very good at it. I'd swear you were another Dragonair yourself."

"Heh, thanks." The silver-haired man smiled, stroking her head. "But I still have to practice and improve."

Aigul brought his flute up again and begun to play the song he'd been playing when we'd first met. As I stood listening to the song, watching the waves spreading out into the endless sea, it finally hit me about where I'd heard it before.

"That's it!" I cried, snapping my fingers/claws. "From that legend. The song of the Water's Great Guardian, Lugia!"

"How did you know it was m...the Guardian's Song?" Aigul asked, looking a little surprised.

"When I was a kid, my dad took me to this island in the Orange Archipelago where they have this annual festival to honor the legend." I explained. "They get a Pokemon trainer to collect these spheres from three islands and bring them to a designated location. To 'tame the beast of the sea', as they say. And it happened that I was that lucky Pokemon trainer! I think I was around ten or eleven then. Dracia, do you remember?"

"I took you between the islands." The Dragonair nodded.

"That's certainly very interesting." Aigul smiled.

"But aren't you from the Orange Islands?" I asked.

"Yes, but I come from a small fishing and farming village. We have to spend a lot of time working since we live off what we can catch and grow. I was taught this song by one of the village elders. They seemed to agree that I had great talent in music, so they wanted me to go out and learn from lands beyond just my home. From there, that's where we met."

"I see." I said, nodding. As I turned back to look at the sea again, I heard Aigul breathe a sigh of relief.

I didn't think much of it and I assumed that he was just tired after playing for so long.

* * *

**Firestorm **

The rest of the sea travel was uneventful, at least for Jade and the others. As for me, I was miserable, spending my time in front of the ship's doctor.

Sure he said I just had an allergic reaction, some cuts and a broken rib, but he was trying to stuff a bunch of pills up my mouth! And he calls himself a doctor?! Oh boy, Jade and Dracia are going to be laughing at this for weeks to come. At least I walked out of there with just a bandage across my chest.

Anyway, once we arrived on Cinnabar Island, Jade led us through the tourist spots to the residential area. He brought us up a short pathway to an elegant-looking building and ran the doorbell.

"Looks like your uncle can really afford something pretty nice." I muttered.

"Yeah, he knows how to invest his money well." Jade replied.

A brown haired man with a mustache opened the door.

"Jade?"

"Hey, uncle Blaine!" Jade said in an extremely loud and cheerful voice. He walked up and slapped his uncle on the back, causing him to grunt in pain. "How ya doing old man? Still wearing wigs and playing with riddles?" Jade reached up and pulled Blaine's wig off, revealing his bald head.

"Hey! Jade, I've told you not to do that!" The old man scolded.

"Oh yeah. I forgot." Jade grinned. "We have the mustache too!"

Jade promptly yanked the fake mustache off.

"Ow! Ow! Jade, can you behave yourself in front of your friends?"

"Lighten up old man! That stress of being a Gym leader is getting to you." Jade's cheerful tune changed slightly. "But I need to talk to you about something. Not out here, but down in the lab. It's very important."

"It's all right with me." Blaine nodded, "Why don't you..."

"Guys, meet my uncle, Blaine." Jade cut him off, gesturing towards us. "This is Aigul, Firestorm the Charizard and Serac the Vaporeon. You guys come in and make yourselves at home while I get the lab set up for my old man here."

With that, Jade walked in, tossed his backpack to the side and ran down the stairs to the lower level.

"He's unusually energetic." Blaine commented.

"He's been undergoing some changes lately, sir." Aigul said, emphasizing on the word 'changes'. "And we believe you have the knowledge to aid us."

"I'll do whatever I can." Blaine nodded.

"We'd best show you downstairs." The two humans left, leaving Serac and me.

The shy Vaporeon took a spot on the carpet and lay down. Meanwhile, Dracia popped out and materialized next to me.

"That old man's in for a scare." She laughed.

"Just how do you keep doing that?" I asked.

"She lives for stuff like that." A Pokemon voice came from the next room, "You stick around with a joker and you're bound to pick up a few jokes."

" Magmar?" I gasped.

The fire Pokemon poked his head out from the doorway. Jade's Magmar, the one who had previously left our group.

"Long time no see Storm."

"What are you doing here?"

"Obvious isn't it?" Dracia asked, "That trade Jade did was with his uncle. Why else do you think he let this flamehead go so easily?"

"I see."

"Firestorm," Aigul came up to the room, "they need you down there."

"On my way."

"Meanwhile, I'll let the other Pokemon out." He said, walking over to Jade's backpack. "They could use the break too."

The lab was like any that I'd seen before, just to a smaller scale. Tables, odd machines, computers. A chilling feeling that reminded me of the lab I'd grown up in.

Blaine was hunched over a microscope with Jade looking over his shoulder. Jade had removed Aigul's cloak, now revealing his wings. The researcher pushed a few buttons on a computer next to them and gasped.

"That confirms it." He muttered, "Charizard DNA in your blood Jade."

"Wow, like I needed even more surprises." Jade sighed. "Oh Storm, you're here. We've been doing some research, and we happen to need a sample of your blood."

I held out my arm and allowed him to jab a syringe in and take a sample. Jade passed it to his uncle and turned back to me.

"Well, he thinks the reason I'm well, turning into a Charizard is that I somehow have got the DNA in my blood, and it seems to be taking over my human side."

"When did that happen?" I whispered as quietly as possible, not wanting Blaine to overhear.

"You think I know that?! But the thing is..."

"Jade," Blaine interrupted us, "your suspicions were right. This Charizard's blood sample, it's got human DNA in it."

For a moment, both Jade and I stared at each other, not sure of what to do.

"WWWWHHHAAAAATTTTTT??" Forgetting everything, I roared so loudly that everyone else came running down.

* * *

_Just when you think you've gotten through one thing, you find the worst is yet to come..._


	5. The Messenger

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung, who has very kindly allowed me to use them. _

* * *

**The Messenger **

By nightdragon0

**Nightslice**

I ran as fast as I could, seeking out the source of the voice. I unclipped a Pokeball from my belt and hit the release button, not knowing who is was, but not having time to check.

"Come on!" I yelled, hoping that he'd follow.

"Right away!" I heard Riptide respond. The Golduck caught up and kept pace with me as I pushed my way through the forest.

Finally, I arrived on the scene. Two men had guns pointed at a teenage girl, pinned against a tree, clearly with the intent of robbing her ... or worse.

"Picking on little girls, how noble." I taunted, stepping into their view. I did so, arms folded, sunglasses gleaming in the sunlight.

"Who do you think you are?" One of the thieves snarled, aiming his pistol at me.

Reacting on instinct, I charged, drawing my sword and rolling forward. I heard the bang of the gun as the shot went above my body. I slashed, causing the two thieves to back away.

Placing my body between them and the girl, I stood on a fighting stance.

"Stay down." I whispered to her.

The terrified girl was close to tears, but nodded.

Turning my attention back to the enemy, I realized my attack had partially cut open the jacket of one of them. Beneath it with a black uniform with a letter 'R' on it.

"Team Rocket ... " I growled. They were the ones who'd kidnapped Kris, my half 'sister', so to say. The ones who'd cause me the grief. Now, I had to chance to make them pay ...

"Get him!" One of the agents ordered. Both took out Pokeballs and released a Muk and an Arbok.

The Pokemon, I didn't want to harm. It was no fault of theirs who their masters were. However, they were still in my way.

"Riptide!" I called.

The Golduck jumped out from the bushes and launched his Psychic attack, taking the two Poison-types down.

_Nice work my friend. _

"Now, let's see how tough you are when you aren't hiding behind your Pokemon." I said fiercely, pointing the sword at them.

"Shoot him! Now!"

In contrary to what they expected me to do, I charged right at them, spinning the sword. Their shots bounced and clanged off the shinning blade, not even one being able to touch me.

The first one died relatively quickly, having his throat slit open the moment I reached him. Seeing his comrade fall, the second man readjusted his aim and pulled the trigger. However, his weapon clicked empty.

"Not so confident now, are we?" I taunted, approaching him.

Panicking, he fumbled for another clip, which I kicked out of his hand.

"Is that fear you're feeling, scumbag?" I punched his face several times and kicked him down. He was screaming as I stamped my foot down against his chest, accompanied by the loud cracking of his ribs. "Good. Feel it in hell!"

I thrust my sword down, straight into his heart. The doomed man let out a garbled scream as he begun bleeding at the mouth, limbs fraying about wildly. There was distinct pleasure in watching his blood run until he stopped struggling and lay dead.

All the Pokemon had stopped fighting and were watching me. I pointed my bloodstained sword at the two Poison type Pokemon.

"You have a choice. Leave now, or die like them!"

They didn't need to be told twice, scampering off into the forest as fast as they could. Riptide silently stood looking up at me.

"Poor, simple minded creatures." I muttered. "How I **envy** you."

I knew the young girl was still there as I tore one of the fallen Rocket's shirts to wipe my sword clean.

"Sorry you had to witness that." I said, without looking up. "You should get out of here. It's not safe."

"Thank you." She finally gathered up the courage to say.

"Don't bother thanking me." I growled, wanting to avoid the conversation. "Come on Riptide, let's get going."

I sheathed my sword and begun to walk away with Riptide, but the girl came running after us.

"My name's Hazuki." She said, "Who are you?"

"A warrior." I replied, again without turning back. "One on a quest."

"Can't you at least tell me your name?"

"My name ... " I stopped. I hadn't really thought about that for that matter. I couldn't exactly tell her my name was Nightslice. " ... Yorukiru."

That sounded believable at least.

"My name is Yorukiru."

* * *

**Firestorm **

"Storm, are you all right?" Dracia asked.

"If I were, do you think I'd be sitting in this room sulking?" I yelled back.

"Storm ... "

I was about to go back to leaning on the window ledge and staring out when she promptly slapped my face with her tail.

"Ow! What was that for?!" I growled.

"For acting like a complete asshole at the worst f#&#ing time!"

I was sincerely shocked, never heard her use the four-lettered word before.

"Jade's in a worse situation than you and I don't think he's fallen into depression." She continued before I had a chance to say anything else. "They suspect you may be turning into a human, and I realize you're upset about that, but hoping that it'll go away won't make it go away at all! You know, the two of you are the same: you hide your true feelings within yourselves and don't know how to ask for help until it reaches a point where it completely cracks you up! And ... "

She turned away and begun making sniffing sound. Dracia didn't resist me as I walked up to her and wiped away her tears. It's her personality that she doesn't like seeing the people she cares about upset or hurt. And I hadn't been considering that until now.

"Hey, don't cry." I comforted. "I'm sorry. Stress is really getting to me. Nightslice disappears, then Kris and now this morphing thing with Jade and myself. Plus, we still have Alugard, Team Rocket and the whole ancient Dragons saga."

"I'm sorry too." She said softly. "You'd better get some rest. I'll check on Jade and his uncle."

With that, she left, the door quietly shutting behind her. I was alone, having been given the whole bedroom to myself. Not used to the comfort of the bed, I lay down on the carpeted floor, carefully folded by flaming tail away and glanced up at the stars.

My mind kept on drifting back to the conversation from earlier. I was a Pokemon that had been through things like experimental testing, abusings and even having my memories wiped out like a computer. But then Kris, my former Team Rocket tormenter, had turned over a new leaf and we became friends. That whole time, I constantly shoved my past sufferings behind me.

I normally stood in the background and let Kris run the show, playing a somewhat guardian's role towards her. And later on, becoming sort of a mentor to my younger companion, Nightslice. Not like he'd openly admit that, but the bond was there.

Now, they were missing, and everyone suddenly seemed to be looking up to me to take command. Including Jade himself.

_It is you who must decide, and choose the path that will benefit not only you, but your companions as well. Their fates lie in your hands. _

I started, jumping up. That 'voice' had not been my own. I realized that I was somewhere else too.

No longer in the room, but instead lying on an empty beach. Behind it, an open grassy field extended as far as eye could see. Above me, the stars of the night sky glittered as brightly as ever.

Something else felt wrong. I lifted my right claw and cried out in shock when I saw human hand in its place. It was covered with a glove that exposed the back of the palm and the fingertips. I ran myself down and found I was dressed in a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a pair of sports shoes. A black jacket was also on over the shirt.

Was this a dream? Had I fallen asleep?

However, it seemed too real to be one. As if to answer my question, the waves came up, covering my ankles. The seawater felt cold.

Dream? Reality? Vision? Memory?

I dropped to my knees in confusion.

_This is all those things, and yet neither of them. _

I looked up. That was the same voice, speaking directly into my mind.

"Who are you?" I asked aloud.

For a terribly long moment, only the sounds of the wind greeted me. Then the 'voice' finally spoke again.

_I am Zian. _

* * *

**Nightslice**

"I though I told you to stop following me over an hour ago?" I said grouchily.

"But I said that I at least want to try and repay you for saving my life." Hazuki insisted.

"And you can do that ... by getting lost!"

My three Pokemon companions, who I'd let out to walk with me, were visibly annoyed but remained silent.

"But ... "

"Look kid," I spun round and jabbed a finger at her shoulder. "you don't want to be hanging out with me. I'm not the best of society and I'm bad news too. I fight a lot of battles worse and more violent than that one just now. So just go away and don't get yourself into more trouble, cause it's not everyday that somebody's gonna decided to play hero for you!"

"Who are you calling 'kid'?" She protested, "You're not much older than me."

"You have no idea." I said coldly, walking off.

"The way you attacked those Rockets just now, it was more out of anger than for the sake of helping me, wasn't it?"

I decided to ignore her and keep walking on.

"My parents died because of Team Rocket too!" She suddenly blurted out, "I ran away ... and ... I don't have ... anywhere ... "

She broke down and started weeping miserably.

I desperately wanted to start running. I didn't want to hear anything else. At least it was nighttime and there weren't any other people walking along the road to hear that. But ... those words stirred up my emotions.

_What would Kris do if she were here instead of me? _I asked myself. I already knew the answer, but had I once again let my anger cloud my judgment?

I tapped Riptide on the shoulder, tapped my forehead and jerked my head back towards her, indicating that I wanted the telepathically enhanced duck to probe her and see if she was telling the truth.

He closed his eyes and apparently did so. Riptide quickly snapped out of his trance and nodded to me, with a sad look in his eyes, instantly making me feel guilty about having made him do that.

Slowly, I approached the girl. How old was she? 14, that's right, she'd told me. Hazuki was slim built and very fair skinned, almost a snowy white. Her light blue hair and eyes seemed to add on to this 'winter' effect, in addition to the fact that she was dressed in a matching long-sleeved shirt and white jeans. She wasn't very tall, even my human form being a head and neck taller than her. I guess it would be said that she was beautiful by human standards.

Beautiful, but also sad. In great pain.

"I'm sorry." I said softly, kneeling beside her and offering my hand. "They took my sister away from me. That's why I'm going to find her. And I don't want people like you to suffer in the process."

She'd stopped crying now, but was still sniffing and wiped her face on her sleeve.

"Come on, get up." I pointed to the lights of the town, further along the path. "We can spend the night in the town up ahead. And in the morning, I can refer you to the Police Department there. They'll help out."

"No." She said firmly. "I want to go with you."

"I'm leaving tomorrow for Johto." I said, standing up. "But I'll be going into some rough places, following my own path. It'll be too dangerous for you." I fingered the fox head shaped pendant I'd received from Euphoria.

"I can handle it. Please, I want to help you too!" She begged.

"Do you have any Pokemon?" I asked.

"No ... "

I sighed.

"But I can catch one, please give me the chance!"

At this, my three Pokemon companions sighed as well.

"Fine, you can follow me to town, but I don't have the cash to spare for an extra train ticket."

As if having 300 bucks wasn't enough, but not like I would tell her that. I figured it was my responsibility to at least get her to town. After that, I'd still be able to get rid of her, but in a nice way instead. It was for her own good.

"I'll find some way, you just wait and see, Yorukiru-san." Hazuki cheered, breaking into a smile.

"You know something, you're optimism scares me, Hazuki."

* * *

**Firestorm **

I could practically feel his presence. He had a strangely familiar aura around him. One actually similar to my own.

"Yes, what you feel is true, son of Harasalt."

I spun around. With a soft beating of wings, the source of the telepathic voice landed beside me. The way I could best describe him was a dragon whelp, with green and red wings that matched the green body and red chest of his primary coloring. About the size of a human, through he walked on all fours.

"Greetings. I am Zian, known as a Legendary Dragon." The dragon said, bowing his head.

_Jeez, you're small for someone to be called 'legendary'. _I thought.

"EXCUSE ME?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'SMALL'?! Haven't you heard of 'size doesn't matter'?!" He blurted out. "Besides Firestorm, you taken a look in the mirror lately?"

"Yeesh, OK calm down already. I'm sorry." I muttered, waving my hands. "You're a psychic, should've known you'd read my mind. But just WHO are you? And where is this for that matter?"

"I believe you already know those answers." Zian said to me.

"You're from Harasalt too, right?"

"Close. The Legendary Dragons, my brethren and I, were created by the 2 Dragon gods, Harasalt and Kaiser to serve as their 'Generals'. After the wars ended, we who survived cast aside our formers alliances and bonded together as a single unit. After making sure the damage we'd cause was righted to the best of our abilities, we sent ourselves to a form of slumber in which we would only awaken when light and dark clashed again."

"And that time is now?"

"Indeed. In this new world, we have vowed not to interfere directly with the matters of the world. However, as repentance to the suffering we'd caused during the wars, they would lend indirect aid to those we deemed noble, worthy and in need. The plight of the Chimeras, for one, whom we will meet in the future. Very soon, in fact. The tale of our origins, however, cannot be disclosed to any being other than a descendant of our former masters'."

"OK, I understand everything but the Chimeras part. What or who are those?"

"At times, they are around us. Just we do not know it. But I shouldn't be telling you things out of your control. Whether some fate may bring your paths to cross, yet I cannot say. That future remains even shrouded to me." Then, he added under his breath. "The creators wouldn't tell me anyway."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind."

I stumbled back, suddenly being bombarded by a series of images. Just brief flashes: strange places, people I didn't recognize, Pokemon I didn't know, battles fought, won and lost, bloodshed.

"Your own psychic potential is considerable." Zian's voice suddenly snapped me out of my trance.

"My psychic potential?" I asked. "I may be able to pull off a Confusion and throw a few Confuse Rays around, but that's it."

"Not after what I'm here to pass on to you." Zian looked me in the eye. "A Sacred technique I have kept all this time."

"A Sacred Skill?" I asked excitedly.

"However, this is a little task for you first ... " He raised his wings. "... you must defeat me in combat!"

Suddenly, a Psy Beam came right in my path. I barely managed to jump away in time. I tried to spread my wings to fly, only to realize in horror that they weren't there anymore. I'd forgotten what I currently was.

"HEY!" I protested. "I've been turned into a human and you expect me to fight you?! It's impossible for me to win!"

"It's all in your mind." Zian calmly replied. "Use it."

_What the hell does he mean?! _I cursed, dodging a Thunderbolt. _Wait, he never really told me where we were! So, perhaps this is somehow my dream world, my mind? _

As Zian came swooping down, I stood my ground and concentrated. I was praying I was correct, or else I'd be in for the worst of hurt.

WHAM!

I opened my eyes to find the dragon several feet back, looking stunned. I beamed happily when I saw the Gothic Shield that had materialized in my hand.

"All right! Not so helpless now!" I laughed. I formed a fireball in my free right hand and hurled it at him.

Zian easily dodged the attack and took to the sky. He began teleporting around, making it difficult to aim.

_Damn!_

Suddenly, he teleported beside me and launched a Thunderbolt. I cried out as pain coursed through my body, causing me to lose the shield. Zian teleported away and prepared for another attack.

_Got to slow him down somehow ... _I formed a grenade in my hand, hidden from his view. But I would require flawless timing to pull it off. I closed my eyes and focused only on my opponent, drowning out all other aspects of the dream world around me.

_How would he attack? When? And would it come from the left, the right, above or below? _

Zian continued teleporting around at an astonishing speed. Then ...

_Right! _

I leapt up, feeling my feet touch his head, and dropped the grenade, using the momentum to propel myself away. The grenade I'd chosen, however, was not an explosive but rather serving a more tactical purpose.

BOOM! Zian was covered in a sticky glue. Roaring, he found himself unable to control his direction and crashed, rolling head over heels and ending up in a sticky mess on the floor.

Summoning up my remaining energy, I fired off something I wouldn't have been able to do normally: an Ice Beam. I managed to encase the downed dragon in ice all the way up to his neck before I collapsed, exhausted, panting and nauseated.

"Ugh ... not bad at all." The immobilized dragon struggled for a bit. "Just remember that I'm not even at half my usual strength when in somebody's dream. It takes much energy to maintain my presence here, you know. So, don't you dare go bragging about this until you can beat me in the real world."

"Ha ... I look forward to that." I laughed.

"Anyways, since I can't move right now, you'll have to come over here if you want your Sacred Skill. Place your hand on my forehead."

I complied, feeling a warm flow of energy running between us.

"Planeswalking." He spoke. "Psychic element. Combination of Teleport and Psychic attacks. This technique will give even one with little psychic powers the ability to separate body from mind move his mind around on a higher spiritual plane of existence, sometimes know as the Astral plane, hence its name 'Planeswalking'. Like many of these mystic techniques, its potential is near limitless. You may use it to enter another's mind or another's dreams amongst these. However, be wary that those inexperienced in its uses may experience physical side effects. Remember too that your physical body is not invincible, so use this skill with great discretion."

"It feels ... strange." I muttered.

"You must leave the dream world now." Zian continued, "Your friends need you."

"My friends?" I asked. "Then what about you?"

"I will return to my own body once this dream is done." The dragon assured. "Now, hurry!"

Around me, a deep mist seemed to be blowing up. My vision was blurring, making it harder to see.

"The others should also have awakened by now." Zian's voice was fading away. "Expect visits from us, sometimes when it's least expected ... "

* * *

**Nightslice**

I practically jumped up, startled.

_What was that?! _

That had been a strange dream. I couldn't remember much of it, but it had been something like a human fighting against a dragon. There had been voices, but I couldn't seem to remember a word.

I shrugged. It had just been a dream after all. I've had some that have related to my past, but I was thankful that this one seemed like a completely random one. I glanced around the dimmed Pokemon center, noting Ahsura, Luminair and Riptide all fast asleep. However, someone was missing.

"Hazuki?" I called.

"Back here." Her voice came from one of the rooms behind the empty service counter.

I walked through the door to find the local Nurse, beside over Hazuki as she examined the control panel of a conveyer belt.

"I just heard Nurse Joy having problems with this conveyer belt and decided to give her a hand." Hazuki said as she slid under the machine.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I questioned.

As if on cue, the mechanism roared to life.

"Wow, thank you so much." The nurse cried happily, "They could never seem to get this old thing working and you got it in one go."

"You know why?" She grinned, "I think that electrician of yours forgot to set the ... "

The young girl launched into a very long and detailed technical report of which I barely understood a word. My jaws practically hit the floor, but I pulled a chair up and sat down at a table near the doorway.

_Jeez, she IS good at something. _I realized, yawning.

Almost immediately, I feel asleep leaning against the table.

* * *

**Jade **

Firestorm had gotten a rather large shock out of our discovery, so we let him leave and get some rest. My uncle Blaine, Aigul and myself sat down the lab discussing the situation.

As hard as I tried, I could not recall any incident that any Chairzard's blood had come into contact with mine. I hadn't been with Firestorm for long enough to confirm anything about him through.

"Is there anyway else?" Aigul was asking. "Mechanical? Electrical? Or others means?"

"Hmmm ... in theory, a specifically configured electronic device could possibly transfer and mix DNA without need for physical contact." Blaine said, after thinking for a while. "I've heard rumors that a researcher named Bill once accidentally scrambled his DNA with a Pokemon's, but it's unconfirmed.

"Electronic device?" I muttered. "You know I wouldn't willingly step into any unknown device except ... " I stopped short. " ... except that teleporter, back in the Sliph Company Building! Firestorm was right next to me then!"

"Teleporter?" Aigul asked.

" Sliph Company?" Blaine queried. "Did you by any chance have anything to do with that explosion in the building a couple months back?"

I slapped my head, swearing.

"Guess I have some explaining to do." I sighed as Dracia opened the door and entered the room.

That was when we heard the explosion as much as felt it. It knocked all of us down, causing everyone to start yelling at once until Blaine clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"That was no natural eruption." He said grimly.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"You work with these volcanoes as long as I have and you'll know. I have to check it out." Grabbing his coat, the Gym Leader raced through the backdoor of the lab and along the dirt path leading up to the volcano.

"He sure runs fast for an old man." Aigul commented. "Should we go after him?"

"Definitely." I nodded, throwing a cloak over my shoulders to hide my wings. "Dracia, you go get the other Pokemon and have them meet us there."

"Consider it done." The Dragonair nodded. "You be careful."

"Don't worry." I gave a thumbs-up, pulling the gloves over my partial hands/claws.

_Unfortunately, I have a very bad feeling about this ... _

* * *

**Firestorm **

WHOOSH!

All of a sudden, I was flying, up in the air. I blinked, realizing I was back in my own Charizard body. Disorientated, I scanned the surroundings, wondering if that had even been real.

_That had definitely been my dream, but what was I doing? Sleep-flying? _

Fortunately, I was still above Cinnabar Island and recognized one of the volcanoes.

_Otherwise, how did I end up here? _

In front of my eyes, an explosion abruptly blew open part of the volcano. I shielded my eyes, realizing that it was no natural eruption.

_My friends needed help? Jade? _

I had to trust my instincts on this one. Folding my wings, I aimed my nose down and begun to descend.

* * *

**Jade **

Running at the rear of the ground, it was purely by chance that I happened to look up and spot the threat that was approaching from above.

"Get down!" I yelled, tackling my companions.

That narrowly allowed us to avoid the miniature missiles that exploded in front of us.

"What the hell was that?!" Blaine yelled.

I squinted hard to make out the two flying shapes. A Fearow and Pidgeot, with metal sections on their wings glittering in the dim light.

"Stormwind and Firefly, I assume." Dracia's voice came from behind. Behind her were the rest of the Pokemon: Ehrgeiz, Miarge, Serac, Magmar and Wartortle. "Firestorm wasn't there. He must've gone out for a flight or something."

"Damn, you're never around when we really need you Storm." I muttered. "Now that Alugard's goons are here."

"Heads up!" Aigul warned. "Here they come again!"

"Everyone, attack!" I ordered.

Two Fire Blasts, one Thunderbolt, one Ice Beam, one Dragon Rage and a Hydro Pump were fired off at once. Unfortunately, none of the attacks hit their mark. The birds were too swift.

"Scatter!" Blaine shouted.

Our party took off in different directions as the birds dropped another round of missiles. I hit the ground beside Dracia and covered my head.

"Is everybody all right?" Aigul asked, pulling himself up. Serac was by his side, as always.

"Yeah, functional." I muttered, pulling myself to my knees.

Magmar was helping Blaine up as well.

"Ow ... I think they got me." Wartortle moaned.

The turtle Pokemon was bleeding at his right foot, having gotten hit by a piece of shrapnel. He was being supported by Ehrgeiz and Miarge.

"Jade, leave these two to us. You take some Pokemon and get to the volcano and find out what's going on up there." Aigul suggested. He tore his sleeve and used it to bandage Wartortle's wound.

"Be careful up there." Blaine warned as Magmar fired another attack to drive the birds away.

"I'll stay too." Ehrgeiz nodded. "Someone needs to look after Wartortle. And besides, my electricity can give those birds a real sting!"

"Thanks buddy." Wartortle smiled. "I owe you."

"Make sure you kick whoever's ass it is off my volcano!" Magmar roared.

"All right then." I agreed. "Be careful guys! Miarge, let's ride!"

"Already on that." The Ponyta pulled up beside us and helped me onto her back.

With Dracia hovering beside us, we tore off along the path. Behind us, the flashes of the energy beams being thrown around lit up the night sky like a fireworks display. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell which side was winning.

"You know Jade, you actually understood us back there." Mirage panted. "Not usual of you."

"Oh god, you're right! I'm becoming more Charizard by the minute." I realized.

"At least you wouldn't be, well, half-half anymore." Dracia said, attempting to comfort me.

The pathway led to a cave, which in turn led to the center of the volcano. Blaine used many areas like this for training his fire Pokemon. The area around the crater was basically a circular well leading down to the lava below. There were only two ledges, one being across from me, with multiple pillars that acted as 'stepping stones' between them.

However, what was more interesting was the battle currently taking place.

One of the aerial combatants was Firestorm, easily recognizable in the orange glow by the metal mask on the left part of his face. The other was standing on one of the higher pillars. Although covered by a brown cloak with a hood, I felt he was frighteningly familiar.

"For the last time, where is Nightslice?" The cloaked figure demanded.

"Why did you think I have any reason to tell you now?!" Firestorm roared.

"Because, I'm not going to ask again ... "

Firestorm's opponent had his back turned towards me. Gesturing for my Pokemon to wait, I ran along the ledge. Clenching a fist, I saw it glow with a fiery color. With a yell, I fired off a fire burst at the cloaked figure.

Although caught by surprise, he still managed to evade the back attack. However, the cloak caught fire and he threw it off as he leapt away.

"Alugard!" I heard Firestorm growl.

My brain only registered it as he turned to face me. Our old enemy had changed. No longer was he the cyborg Scyther we'd once know. The red coloring and new features were clearly visible now.

Alugard had evolved into a Scizor. I wasn't too sure what effect the evolution had on his mechanically enhanced body. It seemed to have healed some of his injuries, but not all as he still had some cybernetic parts. Those immediately noticeable were a chestplate, helmet and armguard. He also had something strapped between his wings, which was either a jetpack, an item storage device, or both.

The silver chestplate looked something like a sleeveless Kevlar Vest with several blinking lights on it. The helmet was also silver and was worn over the upper part of his head, leaving the lower jaws exposed. A red visor over the eyes' section served as his means of vision. The armguard covered his lower right arm, ending before the pincer-like hands. This one was decorated in a black and gray pattern.

_He actually looks pretty cool now. _I thought. I then saw him open his right pincer, revealing the barrel of a Gattling gun mounted within. _Unfortunately, the bad guys always seem to have better stuff! _

"So, you're here too."

I ran as he fired. My cloak accidentally got caught on a rock and was ripped off. Alugard was quite shocked when he saw my Charizard wings.

"What the hell?!" He gasped.

I took the opportunity and threw another fireball at him.

"Argh!" It got him square in the chest.

While Alugard was thrown against the wall, his arm-mounted gun went off as well. The blast sent several sharp rocks flying, one of which smacked the side of my head.

Stunned, I fell over the edge.

"Jade! No!" Firestorm roared. "Fly! Quickly!"

His voice seemed far away. If the others were yelling, I never heard them. It all happened so quickly that I never got the chance to think about using my wings. All I could see was the lava rushing towards up me.

I closed my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt the heat all around me. I couldn't breathe. The pain was incredible and the temperature way over what I could take.

I told myself that I didn't want to die this way. However, it seemed that my fate was sealed.

_This is ... the end ... _I thought.

_It ends only when you want it to. _I heard a voice in my head.

_Who ... _I begun.

_Do you wish to live?_ The voice continued. _To fight again? And save your friends? Complete the change Jade, only you can make it happen. _

_Yes ... _Yes, I did.

I felt different. The heat was dying away. No, it wasn't ... it was me.

I was now fully Charizard. I propelled myself upwards.

It was time to kick some serious ass.

* * *

_I'd originally thought that voice was my own. Only very much later would I realize its true importance ... _


	6. Switching Roles

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Switching Roles **

By nightdragon0

**Dracia**

I really thought Jade was done for. And judging from the way everyone was screaming, they thought so too. Heck, I was screaming at the top of my lungs as well.

But then I saw the lava stir. A new shape burst out from beneath the surface and flew back up.

Jade, now fully Charizard, landed on a stone pillar and wiped off the ash-like remains of his clothes off his body. He stretched his wings, bared his fangs and stared straight at Alugard.

"All right pal, time for a rematch!" He roared, jabbing a claw in the old warrior's direction. "And I'll show you what I do to people who try to kill me."

"Impossible ... " Alugard muttered from his position on the other ledge. "It was ... really true?"

"Believe it all right." Firestorm grinned from is aerial position. "Nice to have you back Jade. For a second there, we all thought you were a goner."

"For a second, so did I." Jade gave a thumbs-up.

"Excuse me, but don't celebrate till we've taken out the trash." I said, flying up beside Storm.

Mirage leapt across the pillars like stepping stones and stood beside Jade.

"Uh-oh!" Alugard realized he was facing four foes that knew fire elemental attacks. Not very good considering he was a Scizor.

"Get him!" Jade yelled.

Four Flamethrowers were launched at Alugard from slightly different angles. Although he managed to dodge two, Alugard was grazed by the third and took a direct hit from the fourth. Screaming in pain, he managed to land on a pillar and dropped to his knees. Growling, he activated his Gattling gun.

"Scatter!" Firestorm ordered.

Our three flyers spread out in the air while Mirage leapt away, jumping from pillar to pillar.

There was a barely audible electronic beep and Alugard tapped the side of his helmet with his free left pincer, while still firing at us.

"What?" He asked, obviously speaking into a com-link. "No, you idiot! Scantrix told you to search Seafoam Islands! Dammit, can't I trust you to do anything right? Get there ASAP and I'll be over later!"

Alugard yelled the last part so loudly that all of us stopped our attacks and stared.

"Gagh! Damned night I'm having!" He swore furiously, realizing that he'd just spilled his plans to us. "I don't have time to deal with your bunch now. Feel fear!"

He raised his hands and made a peculiar motion with them. I briefly saw a purplish glow around him before darkness engulfed me.

Darkness. Pitch black, like I was alone with nothing but a swirling black color around me.

"Storm? Guys? Help!" I screamed, panicked.

The darkness must have been affecting the others as well, for I heard their confused voices screaming for help as well. There was a sudden roar of jets and a bright streak of light shot across the darkness.

And just as suddenly, the darkness was gone.

I got up to find Firestorm offering a claw in aid, Jade shaking his head and Mirage leaning unsteadily against the wall.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"Something Alugard did, definitely." Mirage said.

"It's most likely one of the Forbidden Skills." Firestorm explained. "I felt its power and it would make sense that he's able to utilize them too. However, we should be concentrating on the more immediate problem here."

He pointed over to Jade, who was now looking his new Charizard body over.

"Yeah, how am I going to explain this to my uncle?" He sighed.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"Yorukiru-san!"

"Oh no, why is she still here?" I cringed.

It was 6:30 AM and just before the train station's ticket office was scheduled to open. I'd left Sunny Town's Pokemon center early in the morning to get ahead of the crowd and get my ticket without having to queue for too long. I had hoped to lose Hazuki amongst the early morning crowd of people traveling to work.

Unfortunately, I'd also forgotten that it was a Sunday, meaning that the crowd wouldn't be very big. And that was why she'd easily found me and took a spot right behind me.

"You won't lose me that easily, Yorukiru-san." She giggled.

"I thought you didn't have any money." I said.

"I didn't, but Joy from the Pokemon Center offered me some in return for fixing up the equipment last night." Hazuki winked.

"Oh, lucky you." I groaned sarcastically.

_Nevermind, _I thought, _She may know I'm going to Johto, but not which part of it. _

When it was my turn, I deliberately leaned as close as I possibly could to the glass window and slid the faxed copy of Koga's receipt to the attendant.

"I have a reservation under Fuchsia Gym Leader Koga." I said.

"Oh, you're another of his students who's setting out, aren't you." The attendant smiled. She was a gray-haired old lady.

"Yes, I am." That was what Koga had told me to say.

"In my years, I've seen many others like you leaving from this station. Both from him and his father." The old lady told me as she processed my ticket. "Good luck and have a safe journey."

"Thank you." Grinning inwardly, I walked to the exit, which lead directly to the train platform, hiding the 'To Cherrygrove City' lettering on my ticket.

_Finally, she won't be able to follow me! _

"Excuse me," I heard the teen talking to the ticketing attendant. "I'd like to purchase a ticket to wherever the guy over there was going. In the same cabin and a seat next to or near him as well."

"Let's see. You're in lucky today young lady." The attendant said, pushing several buttons on her keyboard. "It's a two-person cabin with the other seat still available. There you go! Have a nice day!"

It took a lot of self-control to prevent myself from fainting on the spot.

_I have to spend HOW MANY HOURS with Hazuki in the train cabin? _

"Yorukiru-san!" Hazuki waved her ticket at me and smiled. "Isn't it great?"

I covered my ears, looked upwards and screamed out loud.

"Arrrrggggghhhhhh!"

Everyone in the station stared at me. At a time like this, I really couldn't have cared less.

* * *

**Jade **

The night hadn't gone well for us. Aigul and the others were all right as Stormwind and Firefly had retreated together with their leader.

They weren't really that surprised, either that or they didn't show it as Firestorm and Dracia pointed to me and did their best explaining what had happened.

Everyone to far too tense after the night's battle to sleep for more than a few hours.

Wartortle and Ehrgeiz had sustained injures from the shrapnel on right foot and right shoulder respectively. Serac and Magmar had some light bruises and cuts, but were otherwise all right. The two female Pokemon had gotten out unhurt. Aigul spent his time patching them up.

I spent most of the night allowing my uncle examine me new Charizard body. It's really not a bad feeling, being able to breathe fire, fly and being stronger than years in the gym "the human gym, that is" could make me normally.

There was a large exchange of story details in the morning, mostly for Blaine's benefit. Ironically, I needed Firestorm and Dracia to act as translators because I could only speak in Pokemon tongue.

"And then, I saw the explosion and flew down there." Firestorm concluded. He'd been telling us about his dream sequence.

"Hmmm ... fascinating." Aigul commented.

"But the thing I don't understand is, why did I appear as a human in the dream?" Firestorm muttered.

"I'm not an expert on the supernatural," Aigul answered. "but I believe you were thinking so much about turning into one that it affected your subconscious mind."

"And Zian, with his psychic powers, simply entered my dream." Firestorm nodded. "That makes sense."

"At least he put you in a position to prevent Alugard from causing too much damage." Dracia noted.

"I don't think we've had an attack like this since the bombing of that facility." Blaine commented.

"What facility?" Dracia asked.

Blaine sat down at his computer and activated a search program to look through his files.

"Ah, here it is." Blaine showed all of us a newspaper article from several months back.

I scanned through it briefly. It was mainly about a Pokemon research facility that had been blown up by terrorists, according to the article.

"Doesn't seem to concern us very much." Dracia said.

"Maybe so," Blaine nodded without looking up. "but there were rumors that it was actually a military base as well, and that was carrying out secret genetic experiments."

Aigul whistled.

"Genetic experiments? Any relation to the lab Nightslice and I were in then? Or Kris?" Firestorm asked.

"I'm afraid these are just rumors, so I can't confirm anything." Blaine replied. "Even if it were, it would be impossible to find out for sure. Whatever higher ups these facilities are under would definitely do anything in their power to cover it up."

_Quite true. _I said silently.

"That research facility was owned by Sliph Company. By the way, I suppose you haven't heard that the president of Sliph Company was recently killed in a hit-and-run car accident?"

"That old man we rescued?" Dracia looked up with interest.

"There's more." Blaine continued. "They found an entire network of transactions going on behind his back. Someone was embezzling money from the company and making it look like it was for research expenses."

"The president wasn't the one in power." I realized. "Someone else was running the show instead. Someone very high up."

Firestorm interpreted for me.

"It's a possibility." Blaine nodded. "The former vice-president, forgot what his name was, took over and conducted his own investigations. He apparently discovered the mole was the president's own son, but the man shot himself as he was captured. They say he was a Team Rocket spy, but there was no proof and no further links. So, the company had to eats their losses and work with it. This is all according to the papers of course."

"I'm not expert at these human things," Dracia commented. "but something seriously stinks with that."

"Often, the public is only allowed to believe what those in power want them to believe." Aigul said. "As a saying goes, a rumor is really a jumbled, distorted version of the truth."

"Bah, we should've gotten Kris and Nightslice to hack into Sliph's private files while we were there." Firestorm muttered.

_Kris and Nightslice. _I thought. W_e were supposed to be looking for them in the first place ... of course! _

"Alugard!" I snapped. "He said he was going to Seafoam Islands, right?"

"Yeah, he did." Firestorm nodded.

"He was searching for Nightslice too, so if we follow him, then there might be a chance he'd lead us to Nightslice."

"Sounds like it's the only lead we've got." Dracia agreed.

"Come again?" Blaine asked, not being too Pokemon tongue literate.

"Jade just suggested that we pursue Alugard to Seafoam Islands, if he's still there." Firestorm told him. "And I feel that it'll have be our next course of action."

"We'll come along." Aigul nodded, speaking for Serac and himself.

"Yeah, we definitely need you, since you're now the only human among the group." Dracia nodded.

"I'll come ... " Blaine stood up.

I cut him off by pushing my uncle back down into his chair and firmly shaking my head.

"I think it's universally understood that he doesn't want you to get involved in this." Aigul spoke.

"Besides, Wartortle and Ehrgeiz are injured and we need you to take care of them." I insisted.

Blaine agreed after Firestorm related my message to him. It didn't take long for us to get our supplies together, with Aigul carrying the backpack, and we were soon standing at the doorway.

"Be careful out there Jade." Ehrgeiz shook my hand with his uninjured side. "And don't do too many stupid things."

"I know you'll find Kris and the rest." Wartortle waved. "Just remember that I'll be here."

"I'll be fine." I laughed, still finding odd that I was actually able to hold a conversation with the Pokemon. "Just don't give my uncle additional stress. He's bald enough already!"

"I'll make sure of it." Magmar nodded, giving me a high-five. The fire Pokemon was staying behind as well.

"Watch yourself Jade." Blaine put a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck. And Firestorm?"

"Yes?" The Charizard answered.

"Look after my nephew for me. I just know he's going to get into trouble."

"You have my word on that." He nodded, saluting.

"I'll see you around, Ehrgeiz." Mirage walked up to the Electabuzz. "You know I'd stay if I could, but they need all the help they can get."

"I know. Just let me give you this." He kissed the Ponyta on the side of her face. "A little memento until you get back."

"Jeez, all the sloppiness." Dracia muttered.

Everybody gave her nasty stares.

"Hey? What? Can't you all take a joke?"

"Jade, what have you done to her?" Blaine asked.

"It's not my fault!" I protested.

That got everyone laughing. As it would later turn out, that would be our last one for a while.

* * *

**Nightslice**

The train ride really wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. This train was an older steam powered engine, as opposed to the new magnetic ones being developed. The trip was scheduled to take slightly less than 2 days.

The cabin turned out to be like an individual 'room', with a door and two long seats on either side. There was more enough space for both of us, both our backpacks and for me to let the Pokemon out.

Although I was trying to avoid it, Hazuki managed to stir up a conversation, mostly about our backgrounds.

She very painfully told me the story of how she was a 'rich' girl living in a mansion and getting through life just perfectly. Her parents worked as mechanical engineers, which was where she'd picked up her skills from. Then one day, he parents came running back and told her she had to leave.

They'd looked frightened, and had given her their farewells before sending her through a secret fire escape tunnel that led outside. She'd watched in horror as Team Rocket agents stormed the house and fired their guns. Hazuki had been alone since then, wandering around.

_That's just another life Team Rocket had ruined. _I thought grimly.

It made me feel even worse about lying to her about my history, but I couldn't afford to get her involved in my affairs.

A few hours into the ride, Hazuki had fallen asleep with Ahsura curled up on her lap. The Ivysaur seemed to be enjoying it more than her. Likewise, Riptide and Luminair curled up on opposite sides; probably cause lightning and water don't mix.

And that left me, staring out the window, watching the scenery rapidly passing by.

The sudden jerking motion jarred me awake.

"What was that!?" I gasped.

"I think the train's stopped." Hazuki said, also having been awakened.

Riptide and Luminair moaned, having been thrown into a tangle of limbs.

Hazuki opened our cabin door and waved to a train conductor who was passing by.

"Excuse me, but what happened here? Why'd the train stop?"

"It seems that the railway track ahead of us is damaged." The conductor replied. "It's very strange because all reports said that it was clear. Please remain here and we'll give you further information once we're done investigating."

Even before the man had finished speaking, I was already grabbing my backpack.

"Where are you off to in a hurry?" Hazuki asked, closing the door.

"To check it out." I said, pulling open the window.

I tossed the pack out and jumped down to the ground after it. The Pokemon followed my lead. I ended up facing a forested area. On the other side of the train was an open grassland that stretched on for miles.

"Geez, don't you ever use the door?" Hazuki asked, pulling herself out the window with much difficulty.

She slipped and I instinctively caught her in my arms as she fell.

"Wow, thanks!" She gasped.

"Don't mention it." I muttered. And promptly dropped her.

"OW! You big meanine! What was that for?" She yelled, rubbing her sore behind.

I was already jogging towards the front of the train. By the time I got there, a group of staff and passengers had gathered around the area. I pushed my way through the crowd and gasped.

The railway ahead was damaged all right. However, it looked as if someone had literally ripped it out of the ground and twisted it into a useless tangled of metal and wood.

_Or something. _I reminded myself.

"Seems rather suspicious." Hazuki commented, stepping up beside me. "What sort of Pokemon from around here could do that? There aren't any really strong and nasty ones here."

As I turned towards the woods, I caught a flicker of movement. Whether it was human or not, I couldn't tell.

I shoved my way through the ever-growing crowd and took off after the figure. The crowd was too distracted gawking at the damaged rail to notice me.

"Hey wait up!" Hazuki called. She was running after me, together with the Pokemon.

Even not knowing really where I was going, I kept on running. Eventually, I ran out of stamina and stopped, bending over and panting. As Hazuki and the others caught up, I shook my head sadly.

Perhaps I had been chasing shadows all along?

That was when Hazuki screamed, pointing behind me. I had no time to react before I was grabbed from behind.

"Ggggaarrggmmm!"

Both arms were locked in a vice-like grip around my chest, pinning my hands down as well. I knew I was still stronger than a normal human, but as much as I struggled, I was unable to break free.

The assailant tightened his grip around my chest, making it even harder to breathe.

That was when I noticed his hands. No, actually, they were claws. And his arms were muscular, like the guys in the body building competitions, except they were covered by grayish-brown scales. The arms ended in clawed, five-fingered hands. I even felt his muscular chest rising and falling in accordance with his breathing.

"So, you're just a human now." The attacker spoke in a hissing voice. "Pity too, I was expecting more competition."

I twisted my neck to look up and gasped. The figure I was staring in the eye was humanoid in appearance, but that was where they similarities ended. The best description my mind could come up with was a gray and brown Gargoyle with a dragon-like face and long wings stretching from his back. On his forehead was a rather large and long horn.

He was very tall too; I was barely up to the middle of his chest and that was because he was holding me on tiptoe.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"I am Kioi, Legendary Fighting Dragon. And I'm here to challenge you to battle, Nightslice, descendant of Kaiser!"

* * *

**Firestorm **

I groaned, feeling the waves wash over me.

"Storm, are you all right?" A female voice asked. "Please answer!"

"Mirage, help me move him." Said another female.

Someone was licking my face. I felt myself being dragged over the sand.

"Ugh ... " I moaned. "Dracia? Mirage? What happened?"

"Don't you remember?" Mirage asked. "You were shot down!"

"We were worried about you!" Dracia said.

I was staring up into their faces, trying to remember.

"Yes ... " I said, closing me eyes.

We'd flown to Seaform Islands, Dracia, Jade with Mirage in a Pokeball and myself, carrying Aigul and Serac. The Seaform Islands were a mass islands with inter-linked caverns and underwater tunnels. Our group had spent many hours searching and produced no results.

Then, a huge thunderstorm had brewed up. Everyone was scrambling to take shelter when a lightning bolt nearly struck us. It had shot past us and hit the side of a mountain.

However, instead of blowing a hole in the rock, it had gone right through and disappeared. Jade suddenly snapped to the conclusion that the wall was a hologram and we'd begun attacking it.

Sure enough, Alugard revealed himself and begun firing, together with an Ampharos who was apparently absorbing the electrical energy of the lightning. A battle began, but in the rain and strong winds, my maneuverability was seriously hampered.

I had taken a direct Thunder attack and went plummeting to into the sea, together with Aigul and Serac.

"Jade! Aigul! Where are they?" I asked, sitting up.

Then, I saw what I didn't want to see.

That I was human.

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed until Dracia whacked me on the head.

"Not now you bloody idiot!" She yelled. "The others are in trouble right now. So here," She tossed me the backpack. "there are some extra clothes in there. You should put them on before I have to stare at you in the nude any longer."

"Huh? Hey!" I grabbed the backpack and turned away from her, fumbling for the clothes.

"Relax, not like I haven't seen Jade. I've been with him since he was a child, remember?"

It was still raining and the clothes were all drenched, but it was better than nothing. I took a good look over myself once I was done.

The same white T-shirt, blue jeans and sports shoes from my dream. I reached into the backpack and pulled out the black jacket and the fingerless gloves. I pulled my shoulder length hair forward, noting that it was orange with red streaks. The metal mask that I wore on my Charizard face was gone, however.

_Everything's the same, just like in my dream! _

"Where are Jade and Aigul?" I asked again.

"Aigul and Serac went into the water with you." Dracia explained.

"Then when Jade saw it, he released me and sent Dracia with me while he went to distract Alugard." Mirage continued.

"I was about to go in after you when this huge white Pokemon suddenly popped out of the water with you, as a human, on his back." Dracia was speaking in a very excited voice. "He was like, I dunno, some kind of an aquatic bird with some blue ridges lining his back and something like a blue mask over his eyes."

"I'm sure it was the Water's Guardian, Lugia!" Mirage cut in, eager to tell that part. "We were sort of scared, but he let Dracia pull you to shore and disappeared without a word."

"And Aigul?" I questioned.

"We ... don't know." Dracia muttered, eyeing the floor. "I went beneath the water to search, but I couldn't find him anywhere. And Serac too."

"Aigul ... " I said softly.

"Hey guys!"

I jumped at the sound of Aigul's voice. We turned to see the drenched young man clinging into his Vaporeon, both swimming to shore.

"Aigul!" I cried happily, helping him back to dry land.

He looked exhausted and soaked, but alive. Serac collapsed on the beach, badly tired out.

"Aigul, when I couldn't find you, I ... " Dracia staggered, her sniffing cutting off her sentence.

"Don't worry Dracia. I thought I was done for too, but Serac pulled me to the surface and kept me up there till I regained consciousness. Then, we swam back together. It was no easy task, mind you."

"Aigul, did you see him?" Mirage asked excitedly.

"See whom?" Aigul asked.

"Lugia! That legendary Pokemon! He was here just now! And he saved Storm's life!" The Ponyta neighed.

"Isn't Lugia just a story?" The silver-haired man replied. "Even if he was here, then I'm afraid I must've missed him. But where's Jade? Is he all right?"

"Jade!" I realized. "Dracia, you know where he went?"

"Up there." The Dragonair pointed with her nose. "I'll take you, but I can only carry one passenger."

"Go on." Aigul nodded. "I need to catch my breath for a while."

"Good luck." Mirage whispered.

Without hesitating, I hopped on, clinging on tightly to her head as she flew. Soon, we reached the battlefield.

Alugard and the Ampharos were still up at the cave, exchanging shots with Jade, who had taken cover behind a bunch of rocks near the bottom of the small mountain.

Dracia launched a Dragon Rage at our distracted opponents. Alugard jumped away and moved further into the cavern. However, the Ampharos slipped and rolled down the mountain, landing on the opposite side from where Jade was.

"I'll take care of him." Dracia said, dropping me beside Jade. "You two better go after Alugard!"

"Be careful." I nodded as she flew off.

"Storm?" Jade stared. "Is that really you?"

"Shut up Jade. Let's take care of Alugard and we can discuss our racial differences later."

"Yep, it's really you." He grinned, allowing me to climb onto his back. "Feels different when it's the other way round, doesn't it?"

Feeling the winds, for one thing, was sure different now that I was a human.

Jade barged into the cave and charged at Alugard. I jumped off his back and rolled behind the cover of some rocks. The human-turned Charizard took Alugard before he could fire, engaging in a fierce wrestling match.

_Dammit! I feel so useless! _I cursed.

That was when I remembered something I'd seen Jade doing during his transformation. But would it work the other way round?

"Come on, fire please don't leave me." I begged, clenching my fist. As if in response, my hand glowed and burst into flames.

The fire wasn't hurting me of course, but it did feel a lot warmer than my normal one. Still, I was a Charizard when I'd felt that.

"Hiyah!" I yelled, firing off the burst of flame.

Alugard heard me even with his back turned and jumped away. The fire attack hit Jade instead and knocked him into the wall.

"Ow! I'm OK, don't worry." He assured.

However, that force of the motion had jarred several overhanging stalactites loose. One of which hit Jade directly on the head.

"Maybe not..." Jade moaned before he hit the floor, unconscious.

"F#&#…" I swore.

"It's happened to you too, I see." Alugard laughed. "I'd recognize you in any form, Firestorm. Pity you're a human now, otherwise I'd expect some competition."

"Maybe so. But..." I charged and drove a right hook into his stomach area, followed by a spin kick to the side of his head, knocking him over. "I'm a Charizard at heart! And I fight like one!"

I cracked my knuckles, giving him a fiery stare. I was still stronger than a normal human and I could utilize at least some of my normal abilities.

"We'll see about that." Alugard snarled, getting up.

It was then that a thunderous roar interrupted us. I turned to see Jade back on his feet, snarling at me.

"Jade? You all right?" I asked.

Jade growled out several words indecipherable to even me. But I made out the words 'intruder' and 'territory'.

"This is not time to fool around Jade. Alugard's ... " I turned only to see Alugard disappearing through the cave entrance.

Suddenly, Jade rammed me with his head, throwing me over. I landed on my back and was immediately stopped to the ground by my friend.

"Jade?" I gasped.

However, what I saw in his eyes was not the look of my one time human companion. It was instead the snarl of a wild, untamed beast.

"Jade! Aaarggh!"

Jade held my arms down with the toes of his hind legs and used his tail to prevent me from getting up.

"What are you doing? Jade!"

"Intruder ... my territory..." He snarled again.

It was then that I realized the knock on his head must've affected his memory somehow. He thought he was a wild Charizard, defending his designated territory from an intruder.

That intruder was me. And another thing I knew was that wild Charizard are carnivorous.

Desperately, I struggled to no avail. He'd pinned me down in a position where he had too great an advantage.

"Jade! It's me, Storm! I'm your friend! Try to remember!"

I doubt he even heard me. All he saw was his struggling prey. My heart was pounding so fast and yet, I could hardly breathe.

I felt his hot breath against my neck. His warm saliva dripped down in large drops over my face. The jaws opened, revealing the deadly white fangs.

He was poised to strike.

"NO!" I screamed. "NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

_I was staring up into the face of death. It was my own, so familiar form ... Myself. And to think I was the one who constantly told Jade that I was gonna eat him some day. _

_I suppose this is what they call irony... _


	7. Feral Scream

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Feral Scream **

By nightdragon0

**Kris **

Time no longer had any meaning to me.

I lost track of just how long I spent in that cage, hidden on a Team Rocket boat, bound for a place I could only think of as my future prison.

I was kept tied up and restrained the whole time. The stiffness in my muscles was absolutely killing me. At least they didn't starve me, with some guy throwing in a piece of meat every now and then.

The boat was apparently making rounds, picking up various agents and Pokemon, before heading back to one of the Team Rocket bases.

I knew we'd arrived when the boat stopped moving for a long time and the sounds of men shouting and machine grinding could be heard.

Finally, came my turn.

Three Rockets approached my cage, two dim-witted underlings and one bearded man who looked like the standard army commander everyone hated. All three were armed with long shafts, probably electrical Shock Sticks.

"They said this one was real nasty." One of them told the bearded man.

"Well, let's see then."

He made the mistake of pulling off my muzzle, after which I promptly sank my fangs into his hand.

"Ow! Dammit!"

I was immediately jabbed by the Shock Sticks, sending a piercing pain shooting up to my brain, preventing me from doing anything else.

"We told you so."

"Grrrr ... shut up wise guy. And help me."

Holding me firmly, they strapped the muzzle back on and dragged me off. My arms were still bound behind my back, and so were my wings. But my legs were free and I kicked about wildly as they attempted to restrain me.

I could see that the boat had docked at a hidden pier, some distance into a cave. Unfortunately, Team Rocket had many bases like this, so it was impossible to tell where I was.

"Damn thing! Stay still!" The bearded man cursed.

"It's a Scyther, what did you expect?" One of the others said. "There's a reason why these are hard to catch."

"And where are those idiots with the tranquilizers?"

As I kicked about, I un-intentionally hit a leaver. It so happened to be the release for a crane that was lifting several crates out of the boat. The crates fell, hitting the underground dock and shattering, sending several men running for their lives.

The bearded man smacked me several times, so hard that I hit the floor in pain.

"Think you're a wise guy, now do you?" He snarled.

"Sarge, it's a girl by the way." One of his companions commented.

"How would you know?" The Sergeant asked.

"Because, unlike you, I actually went to school. I've also heard that female Scyther tend to be a lot more rebellious."

"Really? Now that's interesting. We'll see how tough she really is once I'm through with her." The Sarge grabbed me by the muzzle and pulled my head up so he cold stare directly into my eyes.

"I am your master now ... Swordia."

He jabbed the electrical stick against my chest, shocking me into submission.

* * *

**Jade **

My prey lay before me. Screaming, as it should be. Crying out in fear. Knowing that death was near.

I was ready, poised to make the kill.

And yet ... why did I hesitate?

His words, they meant nothing to me? Or did they? Did I know them some how?

No ... I knew no one. I fought and battled alone. I followed my instincts.

But why, why did they seem to tell me that something was not right?

It seemed I had hesitated for too long. Another one appeared, a Dragonair. A far more formidable opponent that this squirming creature beneath me. Another to violate my territory.

She was saying something. Words, unfamiliar. Voices ... from my memory somehow?

No, a trick. A trick to catch me off guard.

I smelt the scent of other Pokemon around her. And humans, like this fallen one before me. They would be coming for their comrades; I felt it.

There was not much space to maneuver. It was wet and raining. This battle would not be one to my advantage.

Sometimes, survival of a warrior depends on knowing when to flee, and live to fight another day.

I roared, letting lose the flames from my jaws. The Dragonair took the blast head on. I let go of the human and charged, slamming her into a wall. At the cave's entrance, I spread my wings and flew.

I shot a glance back and was pleased to find the Dragonair lay stunned. They would not be following me.

The rains were harsh and the winds strong. However, I would not be deterred. The call of my brothers led towards the west. That was where I would go.

To begin my life again ...

* * *

**Kris **

I awoke lying in a dark room. Blinking, I stumbled to my feet, eyes adjusting to the darkness. I was somewhat relieved that the ropes and straps around my body were gone.

I was momentarily startled to see another Scyther in front of me. I realized it was just me reflection, as the entire room was lined with mirrors.

_The mirror room? That means ... oh no ... _

I knew this was one of the training rooms. The mirrors were specially configured so our 'masters' on the other side could see us, whereas the Pokemon saw only their reflections.

"Ready Swordia?" The Sarge's disembodied voice boomed. "Let's see how good you really are."

All of a sudden, a spinning disc came flying. It smacked me directly in the chest, knocking me over.

_So, it is the discs. _I thought grimly.

Back when I worked for Team Rocket, I'd trained Pokemon using this facility too. Ironically, now it was my turn to face the trials.

Another disc came flying, but this time I slashed at it, cutting it to pieces. I knew these disc were made of a light plastic, Acrylic, I remembered. Even so, being fired at the speed they were, the disc could easily injure of kill a weak Pokemon. Not that Team Rocket cared anyway.

Another disc and another came flying towards me. I sliced all up with relative ease.

"Not bad at all." The Rocket's voice muttered. "Perhaps you do have quite some talent after all. Now, let's try level 2, shall we? Hahahahaha!"

_Oh boy ... _

This time, discs came from not only in front, but behind as well. Then, they were coming from the sides, two, and then three at a time. After which came the spikes and electric spots on the floor, sticks protruding from the walls and such.

By the time he finished level 10 (the highest one), I was drenched in sweat, bruised in too many places to count, and utterly exhausted. I collapsed, not willing to do anything else.

I heard several footsteps approaching me. Amongst them was the same man from before, my so-called 'master'. And he was clapping.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." He muttered. "You actually beat the old record. No one's ever come close except for that Rhydon that died of a heart attack when he had 1 point to go." The Rocket turned towards one of his companions. "What was that Pokemon with the record again?"

"Remember that Charmeleon that nobody could tame? That was him."

_Firestorm. _I realized. _I actually beat Firestorm's record!_

If there was one good thing that had happened to me recently, than this was it.

As he approached me, I growled, pulling my head away.

"Hmmm ... she's still got some fight left."

Two wire loops were tossed around my neck and tightened, choking me. Three men held me down as my 'master' stepped over my body and fixed a collar around my neck.

I felt a great sense of dread hearing the metallic click of the lock, knowing exactly what the collar was for. I struggled, but then my master pushed a square device in his hand.

Instantly, a series of electric shocks coursed through my body. All the other Rockets let go backed away as I rolled around, screaming in pain.

"That's what'll happen if you don't do everything I tell you to." He laughed evilly.

He shut off the device, leaving me lying in the floor on my stomach, throbbing in pain.

"You'll address me only as 'master', understand?" He gave me another shock for good measure (on his part). "Other than that, obey, and you'll be just fine."

He knelt down was stroked the back of my head. As much as I wanted to resist his vile touch, my body had shut down. I could barely even move in my current state of exhaustion.

All I could do was stare up into the face of my tormentor.

"Welcome to Team Rocket, Swordia." He laughed.

_Again ... _I added in silently.

I was dragged off and thrown into a prison cell to for a brief rest. It was unlikely that Team Rocket had built these specifically for their Pokemon, but it seemed like this was an abandoned prison that they'd taken over. And making use of existing facilities was common sense.

The cell certainly looked like it had housed human convicts before. All sorts of foul scents came from it and I really didn't want to know what they were. It wasn't very large, designed for two prisoners at the most. The wooden boards that hung from the wall served as 'beds', with some dirty pieces of cloth still left behind. A hole at the side served as a crude 'toilet'. The steel door had one barred opening near the top that allowed the wardens to check on the prisoners. The opening was the only source of light in the cell.

The thought had just hit my mind when the opening was slammed shut, plunging me into complete darkness.

Depressed, I lay down on the wooden bed and closed my eyes

* * *

**Nightslice**

"Legendary dragon?" I asked.

"You sound so confused, my friend." Kioi laughed. "You, of all beings, should know just who we are."

"I feel ... " I closed my eyes. "Kaiser's power within you. Some of my own as well."

"You need me to recite the whole paragraph?"

"Paragraph?"

"All right then. We, the Legendary Dragons, were created by the 2 Dragon gods, Harasalt and Kaiser to serve as their 'Generals'. After the wars ended, we who survived cast aside our formers alliances and bonded together as a single unit. After making sure the damage we'd cause was righted to the best of our abilities, we sent ourselves to a form of slumber in which we would only awaken when light and dark clashed again. Since that time, we have vowed not to interfere directly with the matters of the world. However, as repentance to the suffering we'd caused during the wars, they would lend indirect aid to those we deemed noble, worthy and in need. The tale of our origins, however, cannot be disclosed to any being other than a descendant of our former masters'."

"OK ... I understand." I nodded. His grip seemed to have loosened a little, allowing me some breathing space.

"You, really do?" Kioi suddenly asked, looking down at me.

"Yes, why?"

"Ha! I actually got it right!" He grinned, showing off his intimidating fangs. "I'm not as stupid as Issui constantly says I am after all!"

I glanced over to Hazuki and the Pokemon and mouthed 'stay there'.

"You know, with whoever that is, I agree!"

I lowered my body by bending my knees slightly and grasped his right hand with mine. This involved my thumb being over his. Then all at once, I slid to the side, lifted his hand off my body and spun to his side.

The technique didn't stop there as I brought him to the ground as well. The humanoid dragon looked honestly shocked as his face hit the ground. Still holding his hand in the locking position, I twisted his wrist, causing him to cry out in pain.

"While you were talking, I was taking note of your body structure. And realizing it's practically the same as a human's, epically at your arm joints, I figured a few of Kris' Aikido techniques would work pretty well."

"Grrrrr ... " He snarled, attempting to push himself up.

"You don't want to do that." I taunted, twisting his wrist further. "Unless you want me to dislocated your wrist right here."

Kris had taught me some techniques, but I was certainly no expert at them. I had positioned myself a little too close to his body, so he was able to swipe at me with his tail. I took the blow, but managed to roll away and get onto my knees.

Kioi came at me with a downward chop. Still on my knees, I slid to the side and got my hand at his elbow joint. I spun and pulled, taking him down to the floor again.

"Oops, you missed." I laughed, getting to my feet.

This time, Kioi came at me with a punch instead. Once again, I slid to the side and grabbed his wrist. I pulled and threw him over my hip.

"Missed again."

Kioi was really angry now. I saw him opening his mouth and preparing to fire.

"Oh shit ... "

I ran as the dragon fired off a series of Pin Missiles.

_Damn! What I wouldn't give to have my Agility technique right now. _I thought.

That was when I realized how fast I was sprinting. I was far ahead of where Kioi was firing.

_Maybe ... maybe I still have some of my old powers after all. _

I got behind him and jump kicked the back of his head, causing him to hit the ground again.

_I'm still faster and stronger than an ordinary human. But still not as much as him. So how can I use these factors to defeat a physically more powerful opponent? _

I was busy evading his Rock Throws when an idea suddenly snapped into my head. I retreated until my back was against a huge, thick tree.

"Come on!" I taunted, pulling down my eyelid and sticking out my tongue. "Try use your head for something it was built for!"

Kioi reacted exactly as I wanted him to. The berserked dragon lowered his head and charged. I calmly stood my ground, with my arms folded, and waited.

"Watch out!" Hazuki cried.

I faced my opponent and suddenly dropped down by quickly folding my knees. Kioi's chest hit my face, shoving me back against the tree, giving me a hard knock on the back of my head. However, the important thing was that Kioi's head and neck went straight through the tree and out the other side.

And taking into consideration the dragon's strength, it was no wonder the tree was literally ripped out of the ground. But it didn't stop there; the force of his motion carried him onwards to smash several other nearby trees as well.

So, it ended up with Kioi pinned down at the bottom of a huge pile of trees. His head was still stuck through the bottom tree and the dragon was struggling to free it. Unfortunately, he was wedged in tight, just like in the cartoons.

Since he couldn't turn his head upwards, I took a seat on top of the tree his head was stuck in and waited until he calmed down.

"Beaten by a human! I don't believe it! Let me up right now!" He roared, firing off Dragon Breath attacks in various directions.

"Sometimes, brains can do what brawn can't." I laughed. From my position, I gripped his head between my knees and patted his head. "Now, I'm sure you came to challenge me for a reason. What is it?"

"I can only tell that to someone who's defeated me." Kioi snarled.

"This certainly counts, doesn't it?"

"THIS? This is humiliation!" He yelled, wriggling futilely to get himself free.

"Sorry pal, but you want to fight me, then you should know that I fight dirty."

"I refuse to accept defeat in such a manner!"

"You sure about that?" I asked, grinning.

"Absolutely."

"All right then." I got off, walked behind the tree, managed to find his right arm amongst the pile and grabbed it in a lock.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Kioi asked, unable to see me from his position.

"Oh, since I need to defeat you in a more 'direct' manner, I just think that'll I have to give you a bit more pain." I placed my foot at his shoulder joint. "LIKE THIS!"

At the same time, I twisted his arm and drove my foot down. The loud snapping of the bone was accompanied by his scream of pain. I let go and the arm fell, hanging limply by his side.

"Submit?"

Kioi only growled angrily.

"I'll take that as a 'no'. All right then." I walked over to his other arm and repeated the process.

The dragon was swearing, struggling and waving his limbs about in a desperate attempt to shake me off. Since he couldn't see exactly where I was, it was easy enough to evade his attempts and break both his legs as well.

"You're going to run out of limbs for me to break before this is done." I laughed, patting his head again. "Hey Hazuki?"

"Yes?" She acknowledged, sitting in nearby with the Pokemon.

"Roll a dice for me and that'll dictate how many pieces I snap his tail into."

"ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT!" Kioi finally submitted. "I'm supposed to remind you to get to Union Cave and give you a Forbidden Technique to help you out!"

"Did Euphoria tell you this somehow?" I queried.

"No. Like I said before, we were recently awakened by the rising powers of the Dragon God's descendants we felt. Euphoria must have sensed our awakening and directed you to one she thought could help you."

"And who's that?"

"Issui, another dragon. She's has her ways, through I'm not too sure about them. Now, do you want your Forbidden Skill or not?"

I hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"I was trying to get away from all this." I said softly. "But now, it seems I have no choice. Let's have it."

"Touch my head." Kioi instructed.

I felt a warm, familiar aura as I did so.

"Counter Rockets. Fighting type attack: combination of Sky Attack and Reflect. It's basically a leap up and swoop down maneuver, except you will be invincible until the moment of contact. Anything after is fair game."

"OK, I got it." I nodded.

"But there's a little catch to his one. You cannot activate it by yourself. You need another allied Pokemon to cast the Reflect. Any Pokemon will be able to do it. It's called a 'Dual Tech'."

"There's more, isn't there?"

"It's armor piercing and cuts through defensive moves and resistances."

"No, I meant its effect on my current state."

"Oh yes, because you accepted it, it will break through whatever block Euphoria put against your Forbidden Techniques, allowing you to utilize them."

"Thought so." I muttered, turning to my companions. "Hazuki, I guess I have a lot of explaining to do. Anyway, we'll have lots of time as we have to walk. Especially since the wise guy here busted the train track."

"I had to do that to get your attention!" Kioi protested.

Everyone ignored him.

"You actually want me coming along?" Hazuki asked excitedly.

"Sure." I said, walking briskly off. "Since we're fighting dragons, I could always use a beautiful maiden to sacrifice to them."

"Wow ... you really think I'm ... hey! Watcha mean 'sacrifice'? Hey! Hey! Wait for me you! Darn, you're evil, you know?!"

I didn't need to turn around to know that she was running after me. The Pokemon shared the laugh before following my lead as well.

"Oh, that's really funny." Kioi spat. "And hey! What about me?! Hey could you help me out?! I can't move!! Hey!! HEY!"

"You're a 'legendary dragon', so I assume you'll be able to handle yourself." I called back. "Well, great meeting you Kioi. Have a nice day!"

We left him behind, screaming in outrage.

* * *

**Kris **

It couldn't have been more than a day before them came to drag me off for another ordeal.

I had been completely reluctant, but the whip and the electrical collar finally drove me to comply.

So, I was forced down to a familiar-looking steel door. Familiar because I'd once been the one throwing Pokemon in there.

It was Team Rocket's Pokemon training ground, an underground battle arena best described as a locked room for Pokemon to fight. No rules except for 'last one standing wins'. In a lot of cases, it also turned into 'first one to die loses'.

The steel door slammed shut behind me. I stood facing my opponent, a Marowak.

"Get out there and fight!" My master yelled from behind the door.

I turned and snarled at him, only to get another electrical collar treatment. I recovered just in time to dodge a Bonemerang flying towards my head.

Growling, I turned towards the Ground Pokemon and charged, having to dodge two more bone attacks before head butting it in the chest. It recovered and attacked with its Bone Club. I parried several of its thrusts before managing to slash the club in half.

I went into a frenzy of kicks and slashes before kicking its chin and knocking the Marowak out with a blow to its chest.

I heard the click of the door opening in front of me and raced for it. I slashed at the Rocket in the doorway, giving him a bad cut on his hand. Another one behind him brought out a whip and lashed at me. I took a hard blow at the side of my face, knocking me over. My Scyther fangs had also cut into the flesh at my mouth and I spat out the blood.

I was then assaulted by whips from several agents, plus the electrical shock of the collar, beating me till I was bleeding all over.

"Very disobedient of you." My master said, holding my head down. "So, no food for you today!"

I was thrown back in my cell shortly afterwards.

* * *

**Zian**

_Nice night for a flight. _I thought.

Still, I hadn't come out here to enjoy the breeze. I was out looking for someone. Although I could've just teleported to the approximate location, a short flight was always enjoyable. It was nice to stretch my wings after all those years of sleep, and I was in no hurry anyway.

_Speaking of that, how long has it been since I've eaten? Hmmm ... wonder what's good out here? _

I soon spotted my quarry: Kioi.

And what a sight it was. My colleague had his head stuck through a tree, which was also at the bottom of a large pile of trees.

"Well, you're a sight for sore eyes." I laughed, landing. "Nightslice did that to you?"

"He tricked me, and, well ... " Kioi muttered. "It doesn't matter. I did my job and got him his Forbidden Skill, just like Grix wanted. Jeez, even as a human he's so insistent on getting his way."

"Stubborn, just like you." I nodded. "Well, he's from your side of the family anyway."

"Oh, shut up and get me out of here Zian."

"Come on, a few trees and you scream like mad? When I felt it, I thought you're mind had gone back to the time during the war when Jintai and I were about to perform a life dissection on you."

"Can we not talk about 'that' incident? The kid broke my arms and legs so I can't really move them, all right?"

At that, I simply couldn't stop myself from rolling around on the floor in spasms of laughter.

"Hey it's not funny!" Kioi growled, eyeing me furiously. "I got my head stuck in here and I was too mad to think properly!"

"Not like you think properly anyway." I gasped, between my laughs.

"Look! Just SHUT UP and get me out of here you miniature, pip-squeak of a dragon!" He blurted out.

"You calling me 'small' there?!" I stopped laughing. I really hated it when people did that.

"YES! Ugh ... NO! I mean NO! Really, it was just a joke! Really! Eep ... "

He stopped short because I was glaring angrily at him.

(With the anime fire background effect. Kioi sweatdrops.)

"You do know that I can do a lot of mean and nasty things to you, Fighting-type?" I roared.

"Zian! NO! NOT AGAIN!" Kioi begged. "Don't turn me into ... "

ZAP!

Oh well, that was over and done with. That's a side of us dragons you won't see often, but it's there.

It seemed that everything was playing out. Firestorm and Nightslice were off, for better or worse. We would be there only to challenge them, relay messages and pass on our ancient skills. I felt bad about leaving their friends, the boy and the girl as they were, but we were forbidden from interfering. Firestorm and Nightslice would have to solve those problems on their own.

Only then would everyone be prepared for what lay ahead ...

* * *

**Kris **

Days passed. There was no effective way for me to keep track of time, so I gave it my best estimate.

Each day, I was dragged out for several battles in the arena against all sorts of Pokemon. Having no choice, I fought and yet, defeated each one. Sometimes, there were even multiple opponents.

I sustained more injuries and bruises that I could remember in that short period, but otherwise remained alive and most importantly, battle capable.

They must've thought I was some kind of prodigy throwing me into this.

At first, I tried to meld my martial arts moves to fit with my new body, somewhat like the way I'd trained Nightslice. It had been successful at first, but then my wild instincts begun to take over every time I went into 'battle mode'.

It was slowly at first, being only for a short time. However, I begun to lose myself the moment I stepped into the ring, only to find myself battered, bruised and back in my cell.

My resistance had apparently rubbed off on my masters too. I was hardly fed at all, making my Scyther instincts flare up more often, worse and much stronger. Even when I did decide to obey, I was still whipped and starved.

Everything escalated until that day.

I hadn't eaten in quite a while and was extra grouchy. Still, they forced me into the training arena and sent a Quilava against me. That one didn't take much more than a couple of dodges and a Slash to take out.

But then came another and another. After taking on five Quilavas in a row, my Agility had been seriously over used as I'd been dashing about wildly, trying to evade the flames. My claws were stained with blood. I was dead tired.

"Come over here Swordia!" My master ordered, standing in the doorway.

I refused to move from my kneeling position in the middle of the ring. The Quilavas had already been recalled by their owners. However, they never used a Pokeball on me, saying I didn't deserve the 'privilege' of having one.

I snarled as my master approached.

"Get up and don't start this now or you won't get fed again."

He got out his whip as lashed at me. Frustrated, I slashed at it knocking it back against his face.

"Ow!" It left a long cut along his cheek. "Damned thing! You asked for it!"

He brought out the control device and activated the electric collar, sending the shocks up my body. I was screaming in anguish as he recovered his whip and started lashing me again.

My face hit the ground, but I turned to the side and looked up at my tormentor. He just kept on hitting me and I soon lost the strength to cry out. However, I noticed the room was completely empty except for the two of us.

I smelt blood. My own, but also his, which was dripping from the wound I'd given him along his face.

_Blood ... fresh blood. And flesh. He's alone, my opponent. _

The moment that thought hit my mind, my instincts flared up. With renewed strength, I scrambled to my knees and caught the whip in my jaws, pulling forward.

The startled Rocket commander failed to release his grip and came stumbling forward, right into the path of my Slash attack.

"AAARRGGGHH!" He screamed, clutching his bleeding face.

I was in pain, both from my wounds and from the electric shocks of the collar. The pain transformed into a sense of strength, then fury.

Rage. Vengeance.

With a roar, I fell upon my tormentor. The man was slammed onto his back. For the first time, I saw him sincerely panicked. It gave me a great sense of gleefulness seeing that.

There were other screams from outside as the doors were slammed shut. The panicked Rockets outside had condemned their comrade to his fate.

My tormentor managed to pull a pistol out, but never got the chance to fire. I sliced his hand off. He screamed as I jabbed a claw into his chest.

It was exhilarating; my prey screaming, squirming, knowing that death was near. This blood was pouring out like a fountain.

_Warm, glorious blood. Fresh blood. _

I stuck again and again with my claws. Then, I clasped my jaws around his neck. He was struggling and screaming all the way until the moment I twisted and snapped his neck.

_Blood! The kill! _

I roared, having made my kill.

_Now, the flesh. _

My head lowered.

Somewhere in all of this, my human mind was screaming too. There was no way I could've described the emotions that came over me. Any other time, I would've fought my instincts. I would've resisted and tried to keep my human side.

This time, I couldn't. The hunger was too great. The meat in front of me, my kill, too tempting.

I gave in and bit down, ripping the flesh and swallowing it. Gulping down greedily on the human flesh.

At the horrific moment, I realized I had consciously done it. I had wanted to do it as much as my Scyther instincts commanded me to.

I had lost whatever little I had left of my humanity.

* * *

**Firestorm **

"Storm, are you all right?" Aigul asked, walking over to me.

I nodded, still leaning against the railing. The ship seemed to be crawling along the waves that I was looking out upon.

A lot had gone on emotionally for me in the past few days.

Jade, as a Charizard, had been seconds away from eating me alive when Dracia had interfered, causing him to fly off on instinct. He thought he was a wild Charizard now, and had fled to find some place he considered safe.

And that could be nearly anywhere.

The hardest part was going back to face Jade's uncle, Blaine. I'd promised the old man that I'd look after his nephew. And I had failed.

I had expected to get a long scolding, but all he told me was to go back out there are keep trying.

_Failure only comes when you refuse to keep trying. _I was sure Kris had said that too. I'd just forgotten.

None of the other Pokemon had any argument with Blaine's words.

Unfortunately, only Mirage and Dracia were in a condition to come along with Aigul, Serac and myself. Ehrgeiz and Wartortle hadn't fully recovered and Magmar was staying behind to help watch things on the island.

I repacked Kris' and Jade's equipment and brought along what I deemed necessary: laptop, clothes and survival equipment. I also brought with me the small box of Kris' gym badges that we'd won together.

Blaine added in his Volcano Badge, making the complete set of eight. He'd said that it was the incentive for getting our group back together and going on to compete in the Indigo League, now slightly more than 4 months away.

After giving each other our farewells, our group had split up. My party was now on a ferry bound for Olivine City. I was working on a pure hunch that I'd 'heard' Jade say he was going west right at the moment he'd let go of me and flown off.

As Zian had told me, I had the psychic potential.

_Zian ... _I thought. _Perhaps if I could contact him some how ... _

"I'm going inside for a bit." I told Aigul.

"All right." He acknowledged.

I hurried through the corridors of the ship back to my room. My Planeswalking Sacred Technique was not something I was yet skilled at using, but I figured I could use it to try and get in touch with Zian.

However, as I opened the door, suddenly I got a bad feeling that something wasn't right.

Right on cue, I heard a click as a gun was jabbed against my back.

"Be quiet." A male voice commanded. "Go inside, quickly!"

I did as I was told and heard the man closing and locking the door behind me.

"What to you want?" I demanded.

"You may consider me a friend. You're in great danger now. You already have many enemies, but now you count Sliph as one of them."

"Sliph?"

"Haven't you thought about the how suspicious they've been lately? And about the pervious president's death? It was a set-up, the former vice-president, now the current president was in charge all along. On the outside, they're a Pokemon Technology company. On the inside, they're dirty scumbags, corrupted to the core."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Sliph's Special Forces have been reformed since their Cinnabar Special Forces were destroyed some months back, put down by one of their own. Although now without their Chimera technology, they're just a standard group of soldiers."

"Wait, tell me what's a Chimera?" I asked.

"The Chimera Project was an experiment started years ago to blend human and Pokemon DNA. Both Team Rocket and Sliph were rivals in this. As with all experiments like this, there were complications with the subjects, through I won't go into that direction."

"I didn't have anything to do with that, so why come after me?"

"You're fortunate that Sliph haven't been able to track your group since the incident in their HQ in Saffron City. However, it then brings us to those they have their secret war with, Team Rocket."

"Damn." I cursed.

"Apparently, a couple of their agents reported you being able to use flame attacks against them."

_Aaron and Scarlet, after Jade's little encounter with them._ I recalled.

"Now, they believe you to be one of the Chimeras." He continued.

_They must think that I'm Jade. _I realized. _I'll have to let them believe it for now. _

I did look a lot like him, with the exception of the hair color. Still, humans could change that just as easily as they could change clothes. And if our DNA got mixed around as Jade had suspected, it was no wonder my human form appeared similar to him.

"So, they're after me because they think I'm one of their experimental subjects?" I queried.

"Not exactly. They don't know anything about you, and believe you belong to their rivals, Sliph. That's why Team Rocket agents are on this boat too. But so are Sliph's SFs."

"Let me guess, it's because the SFs managed to steal information from TR that they were onto me." I sighed. This was getting to be one heck of a complication.

"Indeed. Seems like you're a marked man."

"And where do you stand?"

"Nowhere and yet everywhere. You'll understand this in time. For now, take these."

An MP5, several clips and a gas mask were tossed in front of me.

"And what are these for?" I asked.

I suddenly realized the gun was no longer at my back. I spun round only to find nobody there. The room was completely empty.

The next instant, I found myself dropping to the ground as a couple of round objects shattered the windows.

_Gas grenades! _

I pulled on the gas mask, deciding to trust the mysterious man's advice. Grabbing the MP5, I found it fully loaded. Stuffing the clips into my pocket, I ducked around the corner and waited. I could near voice shouting from outside.

They were coming. I knelt down and took aim.

* * *

_This was a bad case of mistaken identity. So now, the enemy list counted Alugard's group, Team Rocket and Sliph, as if one wasn't bad enough. _

_Still, that brought me to question the identity of the mysterious informant ... _


	8. Cruise Control

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Cruise Control **

By nightdragon0

**Firestorm **

I grasped the gun tightly and waited. It's surprising how fast you learn to use things when your life is in danger. Still, not like I haven't held a gun before. I just haven't used one as a human.

The room was currently filling up with some kind of gas, but I was safe thanks to the gas mask my mysterious friend had tossed to me. He'd chucked a lot of information in my direction too. Team Rocket and Sliph after me because they thought I was Jade, and they thought he was a Chimera.

_Oh, the irony of it all ... _

I remembered that I'd left Dracia and Mirage with Aigul, so I had absolutely no backup. Not like I could get any help from the Pokemon with who-know-what gas floating around. I hoped that Aigul was all right, considering all of this.

The door was shoved open and two Team Rocket agents, also in gas masks and carrying M4A1 Assault rifles, stepped in. They were expecting a disabled, choking opponent. Pity they were about to get a fatal surprise.

I stepped out from my hiding place and fired, giving both headshots before they even had a chance to move. Others from outside must've seen their comrades go down, and started firing randomly, shattering the windows.

Fortunately, I was in a much better position and was able to take down the two riflemen with relative ease. I waited until I was sure there were no more soldiers in the current area, then reached down and searched the two bodies inside the room.

_Just like the games. _I thought grimly. Even as a Charizard, I still had three fingers that could be used on a keyboard and mouse, and thanks to Jade, I'd gotten into playing Counter-Strike. But that was just a computer game; this was real life.

_And you don't get second chances here! _

Their rifles were too large for me to take, but both had also been carrying USP pistols and clips, which I pocketed, and a frag grenade.

I crept out the door and found a pistol pointed at me.

"Aigul!" I gasped. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

The silver-haired man was also wearing a gas mask. He sighed in relief as he lowered his weapon.

"I'd say the same, if not for our current predicament." Aigul replied.

"What happened? How did you get here?" I asked.

"I was just standing there and someone suddenly jabbed a gun at my back and ordered me not to move. He dragged me someplace dark just as some 'crewmembers' started ushering all the passengers below deck. He just told me that I needed to go help you and tossed me these."

"Yeah, I am in kind of a bad spot." I agreed. I gave Aigul a brief synopsis of my meeting with my own stranger.

"He also said that they'd take care of the passengers and we should just concentrate on getting out alive. He instructed me to leave by the rear of the boat." Aigul explained. "Serac's already in the water. Dracia and Mirage are right here." He tapped his belt.

I heard footsteps, followed by voices shouting. I caught glance of the Team Rocket agents coming around the corner.

"Get down!" I yelled, knocking Aigul into the room. I pulled the pin of the grenade with my teeth and threw it. It was quite rewarding hearing the screams.

"You know how to use that?" I asked, pointing to Aigul's M92F.

"Well, I've played paintball."

"That'll have to do. Come on!" I pulled him up and led him down the corridor in the opposite direction.

* * *

**Unknown**

"Klik, is everyone in position?" I asked.

"Yes." The Flareon replied. "Blaster's down in the water. Alken has gotten the other person informed, and he'll also be taking charge of the hostages."

"So, it's up to me now." I muttered, looking down at the dead man in front of me. The Rocket commander of this mission that I'd shot in the back of the head, in cold blood. And that had actually made me feel good for all the grief Team Rocket had caused me. Now, I had a chance to get back not only at TR, but at Sliph's Special Forces as well.

Team Rocket had sent a squad of their agents in disguise onto the boat after what they believed to be an unidentified Chimera. Sliph had intercepted their plans and had also placed several agents onboard. Only Sliph's Special Forces had some backup due to arrive, to deal with not only the Rocket presence, but the Chimera as well.

The ship's bridge was high up, had a lot of cover and as an excellent place to use the weapon I now held in my hands: the Fryn SASR01 'Zombie', a Semi-Auto Sniper Rifle. Fifteen rounds, expandable stock, scope and a Silencer attached.

"You don't have to do this." Klik said, noticing my hesitation.

"No, I must. I owe it to Tim, Ryna and the others." I replied firmly, lifting the sniper rifle up to the window. "I may not be able to undo what I did in the past, but I can at least give this Chimera a chance, whoever he is."

"There was absolutely nothing about him?"

"Nothing that I found. But they're after him, and I can only try and deter them here."

Klik opened his mouth to say something, but the hissing of my com-link interrupted him.

"Sliph's SF commander has arrived." Alken's voice came from the other end. "Starboard side, upper deck. You see it?"

"Affirmative." I said, glancing out the window.

"A Rocket patrol is headed their way, preparing to engage. They'll all be distracted, so you'll have your chance."

"How about you?"

"I'm almost to the hostages. No problems so ... wait! Abetos, Faint Attack!"

The com-link carried over the growling and several screams.

"Alken?" I asked, worried.

"Don't worry. Abetos took care of it." Alken replied. "Just do what you have to, partner. I'll see you in a while. Over and out."

Abetos was his Houndoom, and a rather powerful one.

Silently, I shouldered my sniper rifle and took aim. Klik stood and watched, knowing better that to disturb me. Sliph's newly formed Special Forces wore dark blue uniforms with Kevlar Vests. Fortunately, they didn't see the need to don any headgear. The commander and his asides were clearly identifiable through their shoulder markings. They were arrogantly dishing out orders, thinking they had everything under control.

_How wrong you are. _I pulled the trigger.

The man went down with a bloody mark in the center of his head. That immediately plunged the Special Forces into a state of panic, allowing me to take out two other officers as well. Then, the Team Rocket attack squad arrived. Both sides went into a firing frenzy. It was a pure war zone; making me glad I was up here.

I relocated my position along the corridor and fired, taking out several more Rockets and SFs. The corridor was supposed to have been secured, but the dead Rockets on the floor proved otherwise. Some of Alken's ninja poison.

"The hostages have been rescued." The com-link hissed. "And the charges have been set. How about your quarry?"

"Not yet." I muttered, looking towards the back of the boat. "No wait! They're there!"

The fiery haired Chimera leapt off the second level and threw off a flame attack from his hands, torching two SF soldiers before brutally gunning them down. His silver haired companion followed, together with a Dragonair that had obviously helped out.

There was a hidden com-link in the gas mask I'd given the fiery haired man, Jade, and I now switched to it.

"There are some wetsuits and scuba gear there, in the green box in front of you." I instructed. "Get into it and get far away from the ship, ASAP. Cause it's about to go up in flames. I'll cover you until then."

"Wait!" Jade spoke into his com-link. "Thank you. We really owe you this!"

"You don't owe me anything. Go, hurry."

Jade continued speaking even as he was slipping his wetsuit on.

"But who are you? Why did you help me?" He queried.

"I would like to explain, but there's no time." I replied hastily.

"Can't you at least tell me your name?"

"Des."

"Des." He nodded. "I'll keep it in mind if we ever meet again."

"That will be highly unlikely, but there's always a slight chance. Good luck."

"You too Des. Farewell." With that, he strapped his mask on, grabbed his backpack and leapt off the boat with his companions.

I switched my com-link back to Alken.

"You done?"

"I'm already at the rally point, strapping on my gear. Hurry and get down here, there's about a minute until all those C4s go off!"

"On my way." I said, silently curing for taking too long. "Klik, get in." I ordered, holding up a Pokeball. "Unless you want to get wet."

"I'll be fine. You watch yourself." The Flareon said as he disappeared.

I was already running, winding through the twisted corridors of the ship. I was already dressed in the wetsuit, but didn't have any of the scuba gear on. Realizing that I wouldn't make it in time, I raced for the third level balcony and threw myself off, landing close to my companions in the water below. Alken already had his scuba gear strapped on and was holding onto one of Blaster's cannons. But I had no time left.

"Blaster, dive down, now!" I gasped.

"But you're not..." The Blastoise protested.

"DIVE!" I ordered, taking as deep a breath as I could.

I held my breath as Blaster descended. Even under water, I could still feel both the heat and the vibration of the explosion above. It had been Alken's plan, the explosion that would kill all onboard.

With the passengers and crew safely away in lifeboats, and Jade's group swimming off as well, that left us with only ourselves to worry about. We'd cut our timing a little too close and the only way for Blaster to avoid the explosion was to dive down. It didn't do too well for me, but Alken shared his oxygen with me by passing the mouthpiece between us, until we finally surfaced to admire our handiwork.

"Well, that's that then." I said grimly, taking the rest of my scuba gear from Alken.

"Indeed." The ex-Rocket Elite nodded, pulling off his mask. It revealed the Chinese man's brown eyes and drenched, black shoulder length hair tied in a ponytail. "Well, I'm now officially 'dead', along with the rest of this squad."

"Where will you go then? I don't think you'll be able to go near a civilized area for a while through."

"I think I can stay around these island for a while." He gestured towards several islands further off. "I heard they've been looking for full time divers to help map out and explore the Olivine reefs."

"Lucky you then. I have to be back at base by 1900 hours. Too bad I found out about this mission a little too late."

"After everything you've done for me, I wish I could do something to help you somehow."

"Don't worry about it. Staying in Team Rocket has its advantages."

"Well, that's you point of view." Alken nodded. "We'd better get going before the coast guard gets here."

"Yes. Will you be OK by yourself?"

"I'm a strong swimmer. I'll manage."

"All right. I'll see you around, I guess."

"You too, Des."

We shook hands, and then went our separate ways into the ocean.

* * *

**Dracia**

The boat thing had been one hell of a ride, even with what I've been through. I think my ears were still ringing from all the firing. But we made it off OK, with some help from our mysterious friend.

With their scuba gear on, Storm and Aigul had swum underwater alongside Serac and myself. We'd been far away enough to avoid that nasty explosion and had kept on swimming until we were well away.

On a side note, this was the one time I've seen Firestorm this comfortable in the water. Must've had something to do with him being human, but not like I knew anyway.

Night soon fell and deciding that it was too dangerous to swim around in the darkness, we stopped on a small island and set up camp. Storm had been clearly disturbed as he filled the rest of us in on the details.

Team Rocket and Sliph were at a war apparently, and he was accidentally caught up in the middle of it. And for our current situation, we were somewhere out in the Olivine Ocean with absolutely no idea of where to go.

_Life's just swell, isn't it? _I sighed. The others had already gone to sleep, Storm and Aigul still in their wetsuits, and I was left awake, lying next to Mirage and Serac.

But something just didn't feel right. I got up and hovered along the beach, keeping our camp in sight. As hard as I searched, I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

I was about to head back to camp when I heard a high-pitched screech. My head snapped up saw the flying object, giving me only moments to fly away before it hit the ground.

Some Pokemon it seemed. It got to its feet and roared. My first thought was that it was an Aerodactyl.

But as it moved closer, it turned out to be something else: a large, gray Wyvern. Some kind of dragon.

It was poised to attack, and I did likewise. There was a stare down, each one daring the other to make the first move. I decided to take it and fired off my Thunderbolt.

I barely even saw him move, but he was suddenly out of the way and back on the same spot again. I moved away as a beam attack sent sand flying everywhere. Even through I was momentarily blinded by the sand, I heard his wings flapping. He was using Gust and brewing up a sandstorm. I took a chance and sprayed my Hydro Pump in random directions. I apparently hit him, hearing his roar of pain.

He used a Quick Attack, knocking the wind out of me and sending me to the floor.

"Dracia!" I heard Aigul shouting.

The Wyvern roared in pain as two fire attacks hit his back, one from Storm and Mirage. Serac leapt in front of them and fired an Ice Beam. The Wyvern dodged it and advanced. Serac made a bold attempt by using her Agility and trying to match up it him, but all the Vaporeon got was a smack from his tail. Storm and Mirage fired again, only to miss and cause the Wyvern to take to the sky where they couldn't hit him effectively.

However, I still could. I flew up behind him and wrapped my long, snake-like body around his chest and neck. Enraged, the Wyvern attempted to turn his head to bit me. I tightened my grip, immobilizing his head. But that didn't mean the rest of him wasn't struggling like mad.

"Dracia!" Firestorm yelled, hesitant to fire in fear of hitting me. "Get away from it!"

"Yeah! Run!" Mirage agreed.

"NO, not till I finish this!" I called back defiantly. I was smacked multiple times by his wings and tail, but I held on with all my strength. I was battered and bruised. It seemed like forever, but finally, his strength failed and he fell.

But so did I.

"Dracia!" Storm ran and jumped in an attempt to catch me before I hit the sand. "Dracia ... I told you to let go! That should've been my fight!"

"Hey, we're in this together." I gasped weakly, feeling him cradling me in his arms.

"I know. But ... but I already lost Jade. I won't make the same mistake of losing you too! I care too much about you to let that happen!"

"Storm ... "

Serac walked up and nuzzled my body. The Vaporeon always seemed to be thinking and never said a word, but I talked to her nevertheless. She'd sincerely smile and laugh at my jokes, even through I admit they were pretty lame. I dared say that we'd gotten pretty close.

Then, I felt it. The evolution.

Storm practically dropped me in shock. I stood up, now as a Dragonite, and smiled, striking a pose. Firestorm was staring, with his mouth wide open.

"Hey Storm, what's wrong? Don't I look good?" I winked.

"Yeah, really good." Storm said dreamily. I could practically see the stars in his eyes and the hearts above his head. "I was just thinking of how'd you'd now look in a bikini ... "

I promptly slapped him.

"Ow ... does that mean you still won't marry me?" He moaned.

"Dream on!"

Mirage and Serac begun laughing. Aigul looked a little stunned.

"It's a girl thing." Mirage whispered to him.

"That's very funny, but how dare everyone ignore me? Do you know who I am?!" The Wyvern asked, annoyed.

We'd completely forgotten about him.

"You talk ... " I gaped.

"Heh, that's something you should say about yourself, Dragonite. I am Arist, the Flying Dragon. Damn, I can't believe I was defeated by a girl." The last part was a whisper, but I heard it.

"EXCUSE ME?!" I flew over and grabbed him by the neck. "Is that how you talk to a lady?!"

(Everyone else sweatdrops.)

"Ugrh!" He choked.

"Next time," I whacked him on the head. "show proper respect for a woman!"

"Is it just me, or did Dracia just gain some nasty attitude?" Firestorm muttered.

"Storm, your lesson's up next!"

"Eep ... that ... erm ... won't be necessary. But I do need to talk to the Legendary Dragon here."

"Yes, indeed. Firestorm, for defeating me in combat, I am obliged to pass on a Sacred Skill."

"Wait, but I didn't do much at all." Storm protested. "It was Dracia's work."

"That is the honorable thing to say, but your friends are an integral part of your quest, are they not?"

"Yes..."

"Your strength comes from unity, it won't even take a psychic to see that. Come now, touch my head and receive: Fanaticism."

Firestorm did so, glowing with a golden light.

"Fanaticism: Dragon element. A combination of Outrage and Agility. This move is an 'Aura', used as through it were a defensive spell. It affects yourself and any allies within its range, boosting their speed and attack power for as long as you maintain it."

"Even in human form, I should be able to use this one effectively." Firestorm chuckled.

"Dracia, I have something for you too." Arist reached out with his tail and touched my forehead. I felt the slight 'shock' as when a TM was used on me.

"Wow, this attack ... "

"Is the Aeroblast, the breath attack I used just now. Consider this my gift, from one warrior to another."

"Arist, I need to find your comrade, Zian." Firestorm said, getting back to the point of our journey. "A friend of mine has gone missing, having lost his memories to his wild instincts. I figure I need both my original body back and to strengthen my Planeswalking ability if I ever want to find him."

"This has something to do with why you're a human now, right?" Arist asked.

We quickly outlined the details for him.

"I see." He nodded. "Unfortunately, Zian comes and goes as he pleases. Even I admit I have problems chasing a Psychic. However, I will bring you to someone else who may be able to help. Come, get onto my back and I'll take you that at the speed of light."

He was pretty huge and there was enough space for all of us. Poor Mirage had some problems, but I held onto her.

"How fast do you really go?" Storm asked.

"Literally, sonic speeds." Arist grinned.

I felt my stomach lurching back and we were speeding away.

* * *

**Firestorm **

I awoke groaning. The others were waking up as well. We were in some sort of cave, extending in both up and down directions. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell what time it was.

"Ugh, where are we?" I moaned.

"Where Arist brought us, I suppose." Aigul said. "I couldn't really see much, but he flew through some greatly concealed entrance and dropped us off here before disappearing again."

"You got all that?" I gasped. "I must've passed out halfway."

"So you've come then." A deep voice reverberated throughout the cavern. "I have awaited your arrival. Come here, and find the answers you seek."

"Should we follow?" Dracia wondered out loud.

"I feel we must." I said, pointing to the downward path. "It's this way."

I led my companions down the path. The cavern seemed, oddly enough, to have its own source of lighting, through I wasn't sure what. Perhaps light was coming in through various entrances?

I suddenly noticed that I was standing on grass instead of the rocky floor of the cave.

"Well met, Firestorm." The voice boomed. It was much louder now. Practically in front of us.

We arrived at a point where the pathway opened up into a large cavern. I indicated for my friends to wait there and went on myself. I was greeted by a fantastic sight.

Before me stood the source of the voice, another Dragon. This one was immobile, his legs like roots of a planet, digging into the ground below. His long tail swayed back and forth, as the eyes of the dragon head scanned me. On the back of the Dragon grew a large flower, much like a Venusaur. Obviously, he was green in color.

"I am the Grass Dragon, Grix."

"Do you…live down here?" I asked, wondering if it was at all possible for Grix to move from his location. "Speaking of that, where is here anyway?"

"You could say that about me, here under the Trilands." The Dragon nodded, chuckling softly. "I may choose to relocate if I will, but relocation for me may take decades, perhaps even centauries to complete. I would much prefer to wait. However, I believe you have some business that brought you here."

"Yes." I nodded. "But isn't there some standard I have to pass before getting anything out of you guys?"

"Indeed."

I didn't need to see the multiple vines emerging from the large bulb on his back to know he was going to attack. I moved quickly, dodging and leaping over the lashing vines.

"Hargh!" I threw off flames from my hands, creating a wall of fire between Grix and myself. The vines withdrew at the touch of the flames.

But then a flower opened up on each vine. I was unsure of their significance until I saw the white glow. They were Solar Beams charging.

"Uh-oh!" I found myself running again, trying to dodge the powerful beam attacks. I begun returning fire, throwing off my own flame attacks. Unfortunately, they barely seemed to scratch the Grass Dragon at all.

A Solar Beam hit the ground in front of me, sending me flying back into a wall, leaving an impression of my body in it.

"Above you!" Dracia yelled.

I looked up to see several large rocks falling right onto me. I roared, lashing out with my claws, shattering the rocks.

_My claws?! _

I was back, in my own Charizard body. Somehow, I just was. I didn't understand it, but I knew I had to make use of it while it lasted. I kicked off the wall and took to the air. Using my wings felt extremely odd, even after just several days as a human.

I fired off random fireballs to distract the vines, then aimed and fired a Fire Blast at the dragon himself. His vines quickly crossed in front of his body and blocked out the flames. I swooped down, only to be whacked in the face by the vines.

I recovered in mid-fall and flipped myself around, slicing up several vines with my claws. Retreating, I let loose a long fiery breath to distract my opponent, at the same time summoning up my new power.

"Fanaticism!"

I saw myself glowing with a red-orange light, a little different than my normal scale color. Suddenly, I felt like one strong Charizard. Well, Charizard are naturally strong anyway, but I felt like I'd spent the day working out in the gym as well.

Pointing my head downwards, I let myself fall, rapidly spinning my body and using my Wing Attack to slice up any vines that got in my path. Grix wasn't beaten yet, and fired off a whole swarm of Razor Leafs.

"Spin Slash!"

Setting my own claws ablaze, I started spinning 180 degrees round, essentially becoming a ball of flames. This Sacred Skill was flying element based, however, but it still did its job of charring the Razor Leafs into obliteration.

Seeing that he was immobile, I thought that I would easily hit him head on. That was when I got a Hydro Pump right in the face.

"GGGaarrgghhh!" I spluttered, caught in my moment of arrogance. Suddenly, vines were everywhere, all over my body. I was blinded as one wrapped itself around my eyes. I was choking and unable to breath or even move. My wrists and hands were free, but not like I could do anything with just them.

_Grix must have a Sacred Skill. _I thought. _All the others required physical contact to pass them on to me. But Grix is in contact with me now, so maybe ... maybe I could tap into it! _

I turned my hands and grasped the nearest vine, trying to focus whatever strength I had left into the task. It came to my mind in the form of one word: Integration.

Grix must've felt the electrical energy running from my body to his. I imagined it ran down his vines and right towards him. The lightning elemental attack wouldn't normally have hurt him too badly, but this was not only a lightning attack, but also a strike to the mind.

The dragon roared and collapsed as much as his rooted feet would let him. Exhausted, I let myself hit the ground, amidst the pile of the Grass dragon's vines.

* * *

**Kris **

Sometimes, I felt becoming the beast wasn't too bad. I didn't have to think so much, which was beginning to hurt my head a lot.

Earlier on, I was sure my grave would've been filled before long. Now, I felt the Team Rocket higher ups were impressed with a Pokemon like myself that had so much bloodlust.

Since that pervious incident, absolutely no one had wanted to become my 'tamer', so to say. No one even dared to step more than 10 feet in my direction unless they were in a large group, armed with high-powered tranquilizer rifles.

My human side had been begging them to use an actual gun for a change, and end it all for me. However, I realized that I must've been far too valuable for them to kill outright.

I'd been taking out my anger and frustration on any poor sap they made me fight, usually ending with the Pokemon being ripped to shreds, if the situation permitted it. The battle frequency became less and less, and I assumed that they were beginning only to make me battle their most powerful warriors.

Whatever it was, I felt it made no difference to me. I still continued on my vicious, undefeatable streak. Those that could actually walk out of the arena with a severed limb were considered lucky.

So, I spent most of my time in the cell, pacing around, snarling, resting, and practicing my battle techniques. At least now they begun leaving the door hatch open so light could get in. And I was actually fed too, but barely enough.

Enough to keep me alive, but still mad, hungry and desiring more blood.

Then came the time I fought ... him.

I'd been drugged as usual and dragged to the arena while unconscious. However, this arena was different. It was a much larger room, made completely of some reinforced metal. Bright lights shone down from the ceiling. I squinted, eyes slowly adjusting to the light.

I was alone, but not for long.

A door at the opposite end slid open, revealing a strange Pokemon I'd never seen before in my life. It had a humanoid form, a purple color and was clad in shiny metal armor.

I was temporarily awed, but my instincts soon came back. I knew this was my opponent.

I fired a Hyper Beam straight at him. The Pokemon raised a three-fingered hand and deflected the beam. Even as the beam hit the wall, I was already charging. As I slashed, he disappeared into thin air.

_Teleported! _

He appeared behind me and I slashed again, only to miss once more. Then, he appeared back at his starting point and raised his hands. Suddenly, I felt my chest tightening. It was becoming harder to breathe.

_A psychic attack?! _

Those were amongst the most deadly attacks I'd faced. But this one was exceptional. It was simply ... beyond anything else.

I was lifted off the ground, paralyzed. Desperately, I struggled against the psychic, trying to get my Hyper Beam into motion.

Everything happened at once. He must've shoved against me, and my attack went haywire. Astounding pain erupted throughout my entire body as I was thrown back.

For a split second, we saw into each other's memories. It must've been some weird act of fate. I couldn't comprehend much, just things like a laboratory and such. But then, reality came back.

The torment that came to my mind was beyond anything else. It was as if every bone in my body had snapped at once. I was briefly aware on myself sliding down the wall and hitting the ground, chest first.

The darkness beckoned me.

_If this was death, then I welcome it ... _

* * *

**Firestorm **

"Storm, are you all right?" Aigul's voice asked. "How are you feeling?"

"Alive." I muttered. I lifted a hand, noticing that I was in human form again. Fortunately, the skin-tight wetsuit hadn't been affected by the transformation and was still on me.

"Great, because I think he wants to talk to you." Dracia said, flying over.

She helped me to my feet and walk over to where Grix was standing, upright again.

"That was a good battle indeed." The grass dragon chuckled.

"Yes." I nodded. "But how did I ... become myself again. Even if just for that while?"

"I'm not a psychic, so you'll have to tell me your story first. Come, sit down everyone."

Our group did that, telling our story once again. It was slightly intimidating looking up to the huge dragon, but he nodded understandingly once we were done.

"I believe that you have had the power to right yourself all along." Grix said. "You being able to bring out the Charizard side in the battle just now proved that. However, there is a missing piece ... "

"It's Jade, isn't it?" Aigul asked.

"Indeed. If Firestorm and Jade can swap back the parts of each other's essence that were crossed, then they will return back to normal. The Integration technique that you 'stole' from me will aid in this."

"I'm sorry, but that was a combat necessity." I said. "What's it do anyway?"

"Integration is a lightning elemental attack comprised of Thunderbolt and Dragon Breath. It combines doing both direct, physical pain and also a mental strike. A truly devastating technique. However, as its name implies, it is also: to make into a whole by bringing all parts together, in unification."

"So, I just need to find Jade and use this move on him?" I asked.

"To put it simply, yes ... "

"All right." I declared, standing up. "I have to go then."

"But do you think you'll be able to use the technique properly?" Grix asked.

"I'll try ... "

"Or how you will find your friend in the first place?"

"I ... I ... damn!" I stomped the floor.

"I'm offering a place for you and your friends, to stay here for a while and train. You especially, for reckless usable of your powers could bring about undesired results."

"But Jade ... " I trailed off. I was caught in the dilemma that I knew he was right, and yet, I couldn't bear to leave Jade as he was for much longer.

"Storm, Jade would understand." Dracia said, putting a claw on my shoulder. "Take it from someone who know him best."

"There are times when even the teacher has to step down and become a student once again." Aigul agreed.

"He doesn't mean it literally, but you get the point, right?" Mirage asked.

Serac nodded.

"Guys ... thanks." I muttered, quickly wiping a tear from my eye. Turning back to Grix, I nodded. "I accept then. When do we start?"

* * *

_Why did I suddenly feel like Luke Skywalker when he went to Yoda to continue his Jedi training? We all know how his recklessness sent him charging off partway. _

_Now, my challenge was to avoid that. Yet, I feared I didn't have the self-control to do so ... _


	9. The Lapras of the Lake

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**The Lapras of the Lake**

By nightdragon0

**Jade **

The sun shone onto my face, arousing me. It was streaming in through several cracks in the ceiling.

This cavern that I'd found was small, but partially concealed as well. I was using this area as a temporary home, resting before carrying on with my journey west.

I had to be cautious through; humans sometimes came to the fields and surrounding areas. Where there were humans, I knew I couldn't stay for long. I certainly had no desire to be added to their collection of slaves.

There was a decent amount of prey here and I generally had my fill. Still, I knew that time had come for me to move on. I stretched my muscles a little, deciding that there was time for one last meal.

I swiftly stopped and lay still when I heard the fluttering of wings. By some luck, a couple of Pidgey had chosen a branch just outside my cavern on which to roost.

_Ah, the meal comes to me. _I chuckled happily.

However, the pair begun discussing something that made me hesitate and listen.

"You heard about the Charizard around these parts?" One asked.

"The Spearow are all talking about it. But I don't really trust 'em." His companion replied. "Those birdbrains couldn't tell a Charizard from a Charmander."

"But what if they're right?" The first continued.

"Anyway, it should be moving west, just like the others they talk about."

"What others?"

"Oh, haven't you heard anything? They say that many Charizard head west of here, towards a high mountain range with fierce winds and harsh grounds. They say there lies a hidden valley, a sacred place where only the mightiest Charizard may live."

"Oh, it was that one? The story about the 'Valley of the Charizard'?"

"Yeah. Seems like this Charizard may not make it if he's into hiding so much."

All the time, I had been slowly creeping closer and closer. I was practically right beneath them as they continued their discussion.

"Well, for all you know, he could be right under our breaks."

"Indeed." I roared, pouncing. I gave both the benefit of a swift death, a couple of bites and a quick swallow. "Hahaha ... information tidbits." I laughed to myself.

I had some firm directions now. I most certainly deserved that place.

I would go then, to this 'Charisific Valley'. To join the most powerful of my brethren.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"This is it, it seems." I commented, shining my torchlight. "Union Cave."

"Boy, sure is creepy at night." Hazuki said, shivering. "We just did have to come out at midnight, didn't we?"

Whether it was from fear or from the cold night air, I couldn't tell.

"You can go back to the Pokemon Center if you want to, Hazuki."

"No way! I can do whatever you can!" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Whether you're a Pokemon God or not!"

In the two weeks I'd spent traveling with her, Hazuki had proven to be quite capable of handling herself. It was a little hard for her to get used to my story at first, but after a few more 'demonstrations', she was convinced. Hazuki was a prodigy at picking up on Pokemon language too, making communicating with the rest of the party easier.

I'd made it a point to avoid larger towns and cities, stopping only at smaller ones or outlying motels. I still feared I had other enemies on my tail, but surprisingly, nothing had come up during our journey so far.

I'd pretty much expected Alugard to show up, or a bunch of military guys trying to capture me for lab experiments, or even Team Rocket, but there had been nothing. Unfortunately, that only served to make my 'bad' feeling worse.

I had my own personal quest, however, and I could let nothing deter me from that.

"All right then. Stay close." I looked over to the Pokemon. "You too guys."

"Right!" Ahsura, Luminair and Riptide nodded.

Following the glow of the fox-shaped pendant, I led the way through the dark cave. It was a maze of tunnels with various Pokemon like Sandshrew and Digletts running about. Fortunately for us, they did their best to avoid our lights and left our party alone.

Even in human form, I still had pretty decent night vision. That was how I spotted that concealed entrance leading down.

As I shone my torchlight down into the hole, a swarm of Zubat suddenly emerged from it.

"EEEEaarrggghh!" Hazuki screamed, startling the rest of us as well.

"Calm down." I growled. "It's just a bunch of Zubat."

"Yeah. Don't worry." She forced a nervous smile.

The glowing light in the center of the pendant formed an arrow that pointed downwards.

"Ahsura, I need you to lower me down there."

"No problem." The Ivysaur replied.

"Are you sure it's safe, Yorukiru-san?" Hazuki asked. She'd gotten used to addressing me by the human alias I'd come up with for myself.

"I've done things worse then jumping down holes." I assured, as Ahsura wrapped his vines around my waist.

"I guess." She nodded, stepping away. Hazuki backed into a wall by mistake, causing an Ekans to drop down onto her shoulder.

"Ekkkaaannssssssss!" The snake hissed.

Hazuki's face went bluish-white.

"AAAAARRRGGGGHHHH! Help! Help! Help! Get it off! HELP ME!" She yelled wildly, throwing the snake off and running round in circles.

(Doing a pretty good impersonation of Misty when she sees a bug Pokemon. Everyone else sweatdrops.)

"With a scream like that, she could wake the dead." Luminair said, cringing.

"Yeah, no kidding." Riptide agreed.

"OK, funs over. Let's get moving." I waved to get everyone's attention.

"Hey ... whew ... you're ... not ... gonna comfort me after that ordeal?" Hazuki panted, with her hands on her knees.

"Oh really? Hey Luminair, go give her a nice long licking."

"With pleasure." The Jolteon grinned.

"No! No! I'll be ... urk!"

Luminair pounced on her and started licking her face.

"Heheheh! Stop it! That tickles! Hey! Luminair!"

With that done, Ahsura lowered me down the hole. It didn't turn out to be very deep, but as I examined the area around it, the pendant pointed down, into another hole.

"It's not deep, so you guys can just jump down!" I called back up to my friends. "But it looks like we'll be doing quite a bit of climbing."

Our party descended three levels before arriving at a huge, underground lake. The place looked practically ancient, like nature had taken great pains to conceal it from any trespassers.

"This lake has never seen the sun for thousand of years." Riptide commented.

"Wow." Hazuki gasped. "Looks like it stretches out all the way beneath the Union Cave."

"Well, time I went for a little swim." I threw off my vest and shirt and started doing a few stretches.

"B ... But, don't you know what they say about swimming in dark waters like this?" Hazuki asked.

"Oh, what they say about the monsters at night? Pah, they're just fairy tales your mothers tell you so you don't go swimming at night. But I'm a professional."

"Yeah right." Riptide muttered.

"Shut up." I whispered to him. "Anyway Hazuki, I need you to wait here with Ahsura and Luminair to look after our equipment."

"All right, I can do that." She nodded.

"Riptide, let's go!" Together with the Golduck, we dove into the dark waters and begun swimming across the underground lake.

Suddenly, I heard Hazuki scream.

"What is it?!" I asked, trapping water and holding my position.

"There was ... something there!" She cried, pointing the flashlight at a spot in the water.

I was more than 10 feet from shore and Riptide was much further on, being able to swim faster than me.

"What?" I asked, turning over to where she shone the light.

"I was moving the light around ... and I saw a shadow!" She insisted. "But ... it's gone now."

"You're seeing things kid." Luminair growled.

"It really was there! I saw it!"

I frowned.

"Luminair, keep a look out." I ordered.

I continued on for a while more until Hazuki cried out again.

"I definitely saw it this time!" She said, pointing her flashlight.

"You know, I think she may be right." Luminair muttered.

"Something stinks." Ahsura commented.

"Look there to your left!" Hazuki pointed.

I turned my head and saw nothing at first. However, I then noticed the bubbles that were rising to the surface. They stopped after a while.

I heard a soft 'splash' from behind and turned round to see the water stirring slightly.

"Riptide?" I called out.

"Over here!" He replied. The Golduck was far away from my position.

I was genuinely scared now. If it wasn't him that made the splash, then who was it? Or what?

"There **is** something in there..." Luminair growled.

"Really." Ahsura nodded.

"Riptide, can you see it?" I asked.

"No, it's pitch black under water." He said.

"Go psychic." I told him.

"Good idea. I'll just ... yargh!"

The Golduck was suddenly dragged underwater.

"Riptide!"

"Riptide!"

While everyone else was screaming, I was nearly paralyzed with fear. It wasn't so much as fear of the enemy, but rather of the element of the unknown.

"Get out of the water!" Hazuki screamed.

Adrenaline was pumping into my system. Every instinct was telling my to run, or on this case, swim for it. But my sense of honor told me I couldn't leave Riptide to the mercy of that monster. I silently cursed myself for leaving my sword back on shore.

Ignoring my better judgment, I swam towards the flight. With all the water and splashing everywhere, it was impossible to see anything.

Suddenly, Riptide was thrown out of the water. The stunned Golduck landed on a rocky outcropping and lay still. Leaving me alone the water.

The creature abruptly went back underwater instead of coming for me.

I floated there, in the middle of the lake, waiting for it to surface. Several uneasy moments passed. The suspense was absolutely killing me.

Hazuki was shining the light around, trying to help find it. Luminair and Ahsura were yelling for me to get back to shore. Riptide was still unconscious. Finally, I managed to get my muscles to move and I started swimming like I was in the Olympic Games.

Then, a black shape arose in front of me.

"HOLY SH--!!" I never got to complete that, being shoved underwater.

I forced my eyes open, only to see the pitch-blackness of the water. I reached out blindly and surprisingly grabbed onto something. It was the scaly neck of the monster.

Apparently, it felt me too and begun struggling and trying to shake me off. I held on with all that I was worth, at the same time pushing myself up towards its head.

My lungs were already screaming from the lack of oxygen. I took a chance and pushed myself forward. I thanked god that I caught onto its lower jaw. Its head wasn't really too big and I was able to, with much difficult, wrap my legs around its jaws.

I ended up wrestling it like that Crocodile Hunter on TV. It surfaced occasionally during the struggle, allowing me to catch a breath. Everyone was screaming at once, but I couldn't make out anything.

(Hold on buddy! ) Riptide's telepathic voice was a welcomed turn of events. (I'm coming! )

There was more splashing as the Golduck joined in the fray. It was a tag-team, underwater wrestling match.

"Luminair!" I heard Hazuki say as my head went above water. "Thunder attack!"

_Thunder?!_ _WHAT THE? DON'T DO TH.. _

That was when I felt the electrical charge of the lightning elemental attack.

* * *

**Hazuki**

"Yorukiru-san!" I shook the unconscious Pokemon/human. "Please wake up! Oh, maybe that wasn't such a good idea."

"Damn, this is what I get for being so used to taking orders from females." Luminair groaned.

Ahsura had just finished dragging Riptide back to shore and was swimming out again to drag in our 'monster'. The Golduck was conscious, groaning and stirring about.

"Hey sorry about that man." Luminair walked over to him and licked his face.

"Ugh ... don't worry. I had a Light Screen activated." Riptide moaned. "But you should worry about Nightslice. When he wakes up, the first thing he's gonna say is 'Hazuki, I'm going to kill you'."

"Guys, check this out!" Ahsura called. He was dragging something big up to shore.

I was too far away to see exactly what it was. I reached for the flashlight when Nightslice started coughing.

"Yorukiru-san! Are you all right?" I asked, kneeling down.

"Hazuki, I'm going to kill you!" He growled angrily.

"Well, at least it worked out OK, didn't it?" I asked, helping him to his feet.

" 'OK' is not the word I'd use for a near death experience." He practically yelled. "You're lucky I'm a Pokemon in human form, or else you could've shocked me to death."

"Sorry ... " I sighed.

"Guys, take a look!" Luminair said excitedly.

The three Pokemon had already gathered around our 'monster form the deep'. I picked up a flashlight and shone it in their direction.

"A Lapras!" Nightslice gasped, walking over.

"Wow!" I ran over and knelt down beside it.

I'd read a lot about these fantastic water Pokemon, but this was my first time seeing one. It was unconscious now, but Ahsura had his vines wrapped around its neck and upper body, just in case. Not too tightly through, he didn't want to choke it to death.

"It's a male adult." Nightslice commented. "Wonder what's it doing down here?"

"Can I keep him, please?" I asked, giving Nightslice a teary-eyed look.

"Well, since you did give the command that knocked it out, fine." He tossed me an empty Pokeball from his belt.

The Lapras then stirred. He opened his eyes and looked up at me, holding the Pokeball.

"NO! NO!" He screamed, panicked. "Please don't catch me! Please don't take me back there! Please!! I don't want to go back!!"

Ahsura struggled with all his might to restrain the Lapras.

"Go back where?" Nightslice asked, surprised.

The Lapras suddenly stopped struggling.

"You ... you understand me?"

"Yes, I do."

"You, really understand me?!"

"Yes, really. But what ... "

"I don't believe it!" The Lapras cried happily, jumping forward, knocking Nightslice over and licking his face. "After all these years, someone actually understands me!"

"Ow! Ow! I'm happy for you too." Nightslice moaned. "But please get off and you can explain yourself."

"Yes, what was that about not want to go back?" I asked.

"To that ... lab." He said, cringing.

"Were you an experimental Pokemon or something?" Nightslice asked, getting to his feet.

"I'm not really a Lapras, or even a Pokemon for that matter." He said. "I'm a human, like you. Or, I was anyway. A long time ago..."

A tear fell down onto my hand. I reached out and wiped his face. It was hard to believe, but he sincerely looked like he was telling the truth. Either that or he was an exceptional actor.

"Will you explain then?" Nightslice asked, still playing cautious.

"My name's Kyle." He nodded sadly. "I was a researcher, working at a lab. It was a top-secret thing and my job was just to collect test results. But my curiosity got the better of me and I tried to hack into some of the files. It sounded an alarm and guards barged in, and I got shot. After that, I only remember being held inside glass tanks and such. Then, I was somehow in the body of a Lapras. I kept crying out, but no one ever understood me..."

The memories were definitely very painful to him. He started sobbing at this point and I put my arms around his head, trying to comfort him.

"This lab you were at, was it an under sea one?" Nightslice queried.

"Yes." Kyle nodded. "But I no longer remember where it was or what I was doing."

"But how did you get down here then?" I asked.

"They preformed all sorts of experiments on me, and then they dumped me here. This is where I've been ever since. I only saw humans come down here a few times, but I scared them off in fear for myself and they eventually stopped coming. I don't even know how long it's been. The last year I can remember is 1983."

"Geez, that's 15 years, give or take a few." I gasped.

"Has it ... really been that long?" He asked. His failed attempt to put on a smile instantly made me regret my sentence.

"Under sea lab, 1983. The year that Storm and I escaped, blowing it up behind us." Nightslice was talking to himself.

"What's that about?" I asked.

"Oh, it seems similar to the lab I was raised in. It could just be coincidence through." He replied. "Kyle, I think I can trust you with my story ... "

He went on to tell Kyle about his past, his real one, and our current situation.

The human-turned-Lapras took it in more easily than I had. When you've been through something like he had, I suppose it's not too difficult.

"I'm afraid I can't remember what I used to do in that lab." He spoke. "But about your 'dragon', well I've heard growls and roars echoing from further inside the cave. I've lived in constant fear that that 'thing' would come and eat me when he felt like it. Luckily, the fact that this lake is isolated by itself gave me some reassurance."

"Can you take us to the 'dragon'?" Nightslice asked.

"I can definitely take you across this lake." Kyle assured. "There's a shallow stream that I can't cross, but I believe that there are more interconnected waterways that I can use if you bring me to them. But I have on condition: that you take me along with you. After these years of living down here in darkness, eating nothing but small fish, living in fear of both that dragon and scientists coming back for me, anything would be better than this."

"We'd ... " Nightslice begun.

"Definitely!" I cut him off. "Say, do you think you could, well, be my Pokemon? If you don't mind me asking."

"Hazuki." Nightslice gave me an annoyed stare.

"Don't worry about it Hazuki. For someone as cute as you," He winked. "I'd definitely be honored. Well, enough talking. Climb on my back and let's go find your dragon!"

"Wow, thanks." I smiled.

"Well, you've officially commandeered this Lapras." Nightslice sighed, shoving the Pokeball into my hand.

Everyone clambered onto Kyle's back. The Lapras grunted, but failed to move.

"Erm ... guys, I just remembered I'm not too good out of water, especially with passengers." He laughed sheepishly. "Could you get me back in the water, please?"

(Everyone else faints.)

* * *

**Nightslice**

Kyle had said it would be a smooth journey, but if he calls rapids and a waterfall smooth, then I wonder what's his version of rough? Hazuki was actually laughing like she was on a water theme park ride.

The waterfall wasn't really very high, and was probably more like a diving board to Kyle. Still, I did fall off, so I was rather pissed.

Anyway, we eventually found ourselves going along a long, underground pathway. It was a flooded cavern with no land, just a tunnel half-filled with water. It would've been a tiring swim if not for Kyle.

"Geez, it's like this tunnel goes on forever." Hazuki commented. "I don't think we're under Union cave anymore."

"Let's see, we're headed in a slightly North-Western direction." I looked at the compass. "Not sure if there's any significance through."

"Don't ask me guys." Kyle turned his head back towards us. "I don't really know this part either."

"Erm ... guys, can I ask what happens if we run into a whirlpool?" Hazuki suddenly asked.

"We avoid it, why?" Kyle remarked.

"Great, cause there's one right in front of us!"

"F#&#! Kyle get away from it!" I yelled. We'd gotten too caught up in our discussion to shine our flashlights in front of us.

"Damn! I think I'm already caught in its pull!" Kyle was suddenly jerked to the left, causing Riptide to fall off.

"I'm OK!" He gasped. "Don't think ... we can fight it! Just hold your breath and go with the flow!"

The Golduck's warning came not a moment too soon. Kyle was tipped over, shoving the rest of us off. Holding my breath, I grabbed onto Hazuki's shirt just as the force of the whirlpool pulled us away.

I closed my eyes, spinning off into the darkness.

* * *

**Sabrina **

I watched the Sliph Company truck roll away from the Saffron Gym, almost disappointed.

I knew that someone from the company had been trying to kidnap me. Back when I was 'evil', so to say, I'd simply killed any poor fool who'd tried that. There was no official proof that they were from Sliph, but I sensed it.

The attempts stopped after a while, around the time I met the boy, Ash, who got me to change and reunite with my better half. Then, Kris had come along. She seemed to have enough to do already, so I decided against adding my personal problems to hers.

I was certainly no damsel in distress waiting a handsome knight to show up from nowhere and rescue me.

The recently deceased President had obviously not been in power, having been played out by one of his subordinates. His death had definitely been set up, as was his son's, whom they'd deemed guilty of killing his father. I suspected the current President was the real mastermind behind all of this, although there was no proof as usual.

I had taken a chance while the previous President was alive and ordered a bunch of the new 'warp panels', hoping that they'd think I had let my guard down. I'd been fully prepared for them to strike, and catch them in action, but nothing had happened.

The workers sent, I sensed, were just a bunch of lowly grunts. My subordinates and I had checked almost three times afterwards for radio bugs and traps, only to find none.

_They don't seem too worried about me at all. Like they've got something else in mind ... _

The videophone beeped and I picked it up.

"Yes Koga, my phone isn't bugged. So how may I help you?"

"Same as always." The Fuchsia City Gym leader laughed from the other end. "But we have some business to discuss. An old 'friend' of mine, Alken, recently contacted me. And it has some relation to that 'vision' you told me about, plus your good friend Nightslice ... "

Koga went on to tell me what he'd learnt from the Scyther-turned-human about Kris' disappearance. And then from Alken about TR's and Sliphs' secret war and their Chimera Project, the experiment to blend human and Pokemon DNA. Jade had apparently been targeted as a Chimera, putting him at risk.

"Unfortunately, even I can't contact any of them at this distance." I told him.

"Even if you could, we risk not only putting them in greater peril, but also ourselves as well." Koga replied. "So, we have to provide aid in a more 'shadowed' method."

"You do know that I'm not a ninja master like you."

"Of course. I would just like you to keep a watch out on Sliph and see if they do anything big. Besides, I heard they've got a new building in Saffron as their headquarters since Kris and company blew it up."

"And it's two blocks away from the old one, while it's being rebuilt." I finished. "I would say it's a bad omen, but I suspect they want to watch their property closely."

"Meanwhile, I'm going to see if I can check up on Team Rocket." He said. "It's a big job, so it may take a while. And while I'm at this, I believe there are a few other Gym Leaders I could trust with this. Some even from Johto. I'll see if I can persuade them to help."

"So, it's settled then." I nodded.

"Indeed. Good luck."

* * *

**Nightslice**

I groaned, coughing out excess water from my system. Around me, most of the others were doing the same. At least we'd ended up on dry land.

"Is everybody all right?" I asked.

"Yeah, fine." Hazuki gasped.

"Ouch, that was a real spin." Kyle commented.

The others just gave affirmative nods.

"But where are we?" Hazuki asked, looking around.

We were in a much larger cavern with a pool of water behind us. I guessed that that was how we'd gotten in. There was some light seeping into this cavern, like it was nearer to the surface.

"So, we meet again Nightslice." A deep voice growled.

"Kioi?" I gasped, looking towards the figure. The Legendary Fighting Dragon stood several feet away, with his arms folded.

"Luckily, I heal pretty fast." He grinned, smashing his fists together. "So I can give your a little payback from our previous battle."

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the one talking here." A female voice said. "My vacuum whirlpools certainly deserve to be mentioned first, don't they?"

Another dragon stepped into view. She was smaller than her companion, a 'plump' lizard like dragon that currently walked on all fours. She had bright blue scales like the color of water and something like a 'sail' along her back.

"Issui, it's a fact that no one ever enjoys your whirlpools." Kioi said.

"IDIOT!" Issui whacked him in the shin with her tail.

"Ow! Hey, lighten up girl, that was just a joke."

"Just shut up and fight already. You know it's the drill before we can say anything."

"Yeah, I know." Kioi muttered. "Just watch yourself, Issui."

"Don't concern yourself with my well-being. I'd be more worried about yours, considering what happened to you the last time you fought him."

"Hey! That's a low blow Issui!" He protested.

"Oh really? As low as this?!" The female dragon whacked him in the shin again.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" He moaned, holding his leg. "You don't have proper shins, so you don't know how much that hurts!"

"That's lucky for me then!" She continued, giving him a third smack for good measure.

(Everyone else sweatdrops.)

"Geez, these two fight like an old married couple." Hazuki whispered to me.

That gave me an idea.

"Hey, you two in a relationship or something?" I called out cheerfully.

"NO!" Both dragons simultaneously yelled back.

"Well, certainly looks like it." I grinned. "What was that they say? 'You always hate the one you love'."

"Grrrr ... that's it! You're mine!" Issui growled furiously.

"Come on then! You're about to see some fireworks!" I crossed my hands in front on my chest, hoping that I could tap into my Forbidden powers. I didn't want to turn the Knight Blazer on her, but there was something else I could do.

"Matrix, activate!"

This was one of my hidden abilities that I hadn't used for a long time. I closed my eyes as I felt the changes begin. My body was shifting back to its original Scyther form. But it was also becoming clad in a golden armor.

I pictured it in my mind: the mask covering my face, leaving just his eyes, mouth and end the snout exposed. Three sharp horns, one on the nose and two at the back of the head. Shoulders covered with a straight set of golden shoulder pads. Likewise for the upper body with a golden chest plate. At back of the body armor was the symbol of the Yin and Yang. A pair of shin pads that stretched from the lower legs down and around the feet.

With a roar, I swiped my sword-like claws against each other, making a 'swish' as if it'd been done with a pair of swords, showing off the armor to my awestruck comrades.

"Hmmm ... the Matrix ability. Haven't seen that one in a while." Kioi muttered.

"Pah, I can take him on!" Issui roared, charging.

I met her attack head on, our fore claws clashing repeatedly before I jumped up and gave her a two-legged kick in the chest. She recovered in mid-air, landed on four legs and fired off a Hydro Pump.

I somersaulted away and landed beside my friends.

"Not bad ... " I growled. "But try this!"

I opened the hidden sections beneath the shoulder panels and fired off several energy blasts in Issui's direction. The water dragon swiftly dodged each one, and attacked before I had a chance to defend myself. The Faint Attack caught me in the chest, sending me flying back into the wall.

"Aargh!" The blow felt a lot harder than it should've been.

"Yorukiru-san!" Hazuki and the Pokemon (except for Kyle, who was still lying on the shore) came running over. "You changed back!"

"Shimatta!" I cursed, realizing that I was back in human form. (Here, it means something along the lines of 'dammit' in Japanese.)

"Too bad it's hard to maintain when you waste all your energy missing." Issui taunted.

Unfortunately, she was right in a way. This fight was going to get messy after all.

"Luminair, you and I are going to fight that bitch." I instructed, drawing my sword. "Everyone else, keep Kioi out of it."

"And how about me?" Hazuki asked.

"You can fight Kioi." I grinned as I ran off.

* * *

**Hazuki**

_He wanted me to what?! _

Too late to protest through. Nightslice and Luminair had already rushed the water dragon and the three seemed to be engaged in an Agility competition. Leaving the fighting dragon to come charging with his head lowered.

I cried out as I back away, but an Ice Beam abruptly hit the ground in front of him, creating an ice wall that temporarily stopping the dragon.

"That won't hold him for long!" Kyle, who'd fired the beam, warned.

Kioi promptly shattered the ice wall. Riptide stepped forward and fired his Hydro Pump, which Kioi blocked by folding his wings in front of himself, like shields. Kyle joined in with his own water attack.

(Get the tranquilizer gun! ) Riptide telepathically told me.

"Yeah, good idea." I dug the pistol out of Nightslice's backpack. "Oh, how does it work again?"

"It's something about pulling the safety switch." Ahsura said, running over to me.

"I think I found it. There! Yikes!" The gun accidentally went off in my hands. Sending a dart right into Riptide's behind.

"Hey! What was that ... ugh." The Golduck fell over and begun snoring.

"Oops! I'm sorry!" I cried, letting the gun slip out of my hand. It fell, hit the floor and went off again.

"Thanks a lot..." Kyle muttered, before going joining Riptide in dreamland.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" I panicked, bringing my hands up to my mouth.

Without the barrage of water to hold him back, Kioi came forward.

"Don't worry! I will protect you, my lady!" Ahsura declared, wrapping his vines around Kioi's neck and pulling them taunt. "Ha! How you like that?!"

"GGrrrrr..." Kioi looked very pissed as he grabbed onto the Ivysaur's vines and lifted him up.

"Help! This is gonna huuuurrrrrttttttt!!" Ahsura yelled as Kioi swung him round in circles like a yo-yo before chucking the unfortunate grass type into the water.

Leaving just the dragon and me.

"Just one little girl, I see." He laughed.

"Eep ... " I muttered, backing off.

Nightslice had taught me a few things about fighting and had helped to fashion a staff for me. It was about the length of my arm and made out of some hard wood. That was what I pulled out as I tossed my backpack aside.

"Stay back!" I ordered, holding the short staff out. Somehow, my voice didn't come out as intimidating as I'd hoped for it to be.

"Oh my, a stick. I'm soooooooo scared." Kioi grinned sarcastically.

"I'm warning you!"

"Mahahahahah! Watcha gonna do? Hit me with that stick?"

Kioi suddenly begun charging towards me. I screamed as I stepped backwards. As I did so, I stepped on a rock and slipped, falling onto my back.

It so happened that that was the moment Kioi was upon me. The motion caused me to slide between his legs, considering how tall he was. But you can guess that, as I went down, my staff went up.

It so happened that the staff was between Kioi's legs.

The dragon's eyes practically popped out of their sockets as he got hit, well, in 'that' place. As in, the one no guy wants to be hit in. His scream was just as loud as he fell, leaving me sitting there, still in a state of shock.

When I finally could feel my heart beating again, I realized the dragon was lying facedown next to me, moaning and clutching his groin area. Then I looked over to Nightslice, who was still battling Issui.

Luminair was lying off to the side, having been knocked out cold. Nightslice was swinging his sword to counter Issui's claw attacks. He got a little careless and received a blow to his sword arm, causing him to drop the sword in pain. Issui immediately slashed his face, leaving a bloody claw mark across his left cheek.

"AARRGGHH!" Nightslice screamed in outrage.

Wiping his face with his arm, he gave her a very fierce stare before charging. It looked as if he was going to attack with his bare hands, but then he flashed, and changed into his Scyther form. The normal green one, that is.

Issui lashed out at him, but he parried her attack and threw a Skull Bash right into her chest. The water dragon flew into the wall and finally lay still.

"Yorukiru-san?" I ran over to the kneeling Scyther and put a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened?" He panted, looking over himself. "I'm back ... in my own body!"

"The magic component that changed you has been broken." Issui said, lifting her head. "Using your Forbidden Powers destabilized whatever had been done to you before. However, you still must solve the part science played in this ... "

"Kris?" He asked.

"Yes. If you remain like this, you will be able to switch back and forth between human and Pokemon forms. This is due to the greater strength of your Forbidden powers. But your half 'sister' cannot. Only you can restore her to her true form now."

"Kris ... "He said softly. "Hold on, just a while more. I'm coming ... "

* * *

**Kris **

Somehow, I regained consciousness. My sense of smell told me I was back in the cell before my blurred vision did. I hadn't expected to live through that. I would've been much happier if that creature had killed me outright.

Yet, I clung on to life, but why?

"You're awake." A voice said. A Pokemon voice. In my weakened state, I'd failed to detect another presence in the cell.

I did my best to sit up and defend myself, but the pain that shot through my body forced me back down.

"Relax I'm a friend." The voice came closer. I found myself looking up into the face of a Skarmory. "You're pretty badly beat up, so try to get some rest."

"You talk..." I muttered.

"You sound so surprised." The Skarmory laughed. "We all do, of course."

"No, it's just, no Pokemon or human has ever talked to me like this, well since I got thrown in here."

"That because they don't know what you truly are, Swordia. Or perhaps I should call you Kris."

This time, I didn't let the pain stop me from bolting up and holding my claws in front of me for defense

"How did you know that?! Who or what are you anyway?! And ..." I'd noticed an orange armband tied around my right arm. "And what's this thing?!"

"Slow down, which question do you want answered first?"

"About you." I demanded.

"Scantrix is my current name. And I am like you, a human once ... a long time ago."

"What?!" I gasped.

* * *

_Could it be true? Was I no longer alone? But could I trust this figure? _

_And yet, I didn't seem to have a choice ... _


	10. In Darkest Knight

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**In Darkest Knight **

By nightdragon0

**Kris **

"How could it be?" I asked.

"There were so many secrets that even you couldn't have known." The Skarmory called Scantrix replied. "But they revolve around the lab of your birth."

"Explain." I demanded.

"After your father's death in 1983, another man, named Zarius carried on his work. However, he had his own funding and broke off from Giovanni's control. He brought your father's research to new heights, attempting the perfect fusion of human and Pokemon. He was part of neither Team Rocket's of Sliph's Chimera Projects."

"Chimera Project?"

"The Chimera Project was an experiment to blend human and Pokemon DNA. Both Team Rocket and Sliph were rivals in this. But that doesn't relate to us right here. What matters are Professor Zarius and his research."

"Just how do you know all this anyway?"

"Why?! I'll tell you why! Because I was his partner! He betrayed me and did this!" Scantrix hissed furiously, jabbing the tip of his wings at himself. "Sorry, thinking about that just burns me up."

I just nodded and let him continue.

"Anyway, it was me who helped to provide his funding. Zarius apparently still had links to Team Rocket, and he got me to help do his financial transactions with them. Namely, collecting the funds. I used my own accounts for this."

"And you were played out." I muttered.

"Yes. He suddenly broke up everything, making it look as if I owed TR a huge amount of money. I tried to get back at him, but Zarius' connections had me shot and ... and ... bought me as one of their research subjects!"

I could only stare in shock. Just when I thought I'd seen the worst of the human race, I get something completely off my scale.

"That was 6 years ago. Zarius recently went mad, randomly murdering is own staff and finally killing himself, blowing up his entire lab and his research in the process. And you can guess where that left me..."

"Permanently stuck as you are." I finished. Inwardly, that was a stab at my own heart too. I'd been hoping that there was someway I could be human again.

"Well, it's no point lamenting over things already done. Now, that brings us to your other queries. Do you want to hear the good one or the bad one first?"

"The bad." I muttered, gritting my teeth.

"It's about that band on your arm." Scantrix pointed. "It means you've been breed."

"BREED?!" I screamed. "You mean..."

"Mated. Yes. I don't think you were conscious through. That one was Team Rocket's doing, entirely out of our control. The egg's gone too, already taken away. You were out for more than 2 weeks, so they had plenty of time to do their dirty deeds."

"I...I..." I was trying to think of something violent to say, but I just couldn't get it out.

"I'm sorry. I know your human side must be outraged. But there's the good news. You seriously don't think I'm here by chance, do you?"

"You said something about a 'we'?" I asked.

"Well, Gastly and Hypnosis work great on the weak minded. I'm a spy of sorts and my leader's planning a 'jailbreak', so to say. And we'd like you to join in."

"Just what's in your group? More ... experimental subjects like yourself?"

"No." Scantrix chuckled. "I believe I'm the only one of Zarius' subjects that actually survived. The rest are normal Pokemon. But my leader is someone you should already know. He's the one that pointed me to you in the first place."

"What kind of Pokemon could do that?" I queried, hoping for the best. Could Firestorm or Nightslice have actually found me after all?

"A Pokemon, whose name is Alugard."

* * *

**Nightslice**

I felt a cool, refreshing feeling coming over me.

"You have now received the water elemental Forbidden Skill, Disintegration." Issui spoke to me. "As water brings life, it can also snatch it away. This move combines Faint Attack and Hydro Pump, allowing you to get in and strike quickly at an opponent's vital points."

"These techniques, how is it you possess some while others were sealed with stone tablets?" I asked.

"Well, those techniques you got from the stones once belonged to those dragons that were killed in the war." Issui replied. "There were 16 of us in total, to represent each of the elements you now have today. The 'Dragon element', of course, belonged to our masters. Other Pokemon, like Euphoria for instance, attainted their status because they were called up to replace the dragons who'd fallen."

"I see." I nodded.

Our groups had recovered from the earlier battle and had gathered in a circle where Issui had passed on her Forbidden Technique to me.

"Ow ... " Kioi was still moaning, very sore from where Hazuki had hit him in the fight. "Stupid girl. I think she's made me impotent."

"Will you shut up?!" Issui yelled, whacking him in the shin. "It doesn't mater because we're sterile anyway!"

The rest of us gave them odd stares.

"I don't want to know." Kyle sighed.

"Anyway, you have what you came for." Issui continued, pointing. "The exit's up along that path."

"What? I don't get any tips?" I asked.

"Hey, I did my part. Now you go do yours. What goes on after that is none of my business."

"Yeah, she's right." Kioi said.

"And you," The water dragon turned towards her fighting counterpart. "certainly made a fine show of yourself. You've been getting fat since you started eating again. Grrrr ... I'm gonna take you back, string you upside down and use you as a punching bag, and maybe that'll slim you down a little!"

"Issui there no need to resort to such drastic ... yark!" Kioi was yanked by the scruff of his neck and dragged into the water.

Issui was swimming off, but kept both their heads above water.

"Can we at least try to act civilized in front of the next group we meet?" Kioi moaned.

"As long as you don't start embarrassing yourself in front of them." Issui snapped back.

"Just watch me."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Anyway," He winked. "you considered my offer on making o--"

SLAP!

The rest of us cringed.

"There you go again Kioi! You're doing a 1000 laps round the Whirl Islands too!"

"NO, not that too--urgh!"

Their voices faded, disappearing off into the dark waters of the underground cavern.

"Is he going to be all right?" Wondered Riptide. "I almost feel sorry for him."

"Must be tough when your girlfriend's that tough." Luminair added in.

"I'd say that he's pretty much a hopeless lover." I commented.

"Issui is pretty cool through." Hazuki smiled.

Everyone stared at her.

"What?! I just happen to think so. But say, are we headed off or something?"

"Yes. We'll have to find out where we are before we can start making plans." I agreed. I crossed my claws in front of my face and shifted back to human form.

It took only a flash of green light and a few seconds of rapid switching; much like someone was using computer graphics to 'morph' my image.

"Make sure you don't do that in a public place, cause it'll probably freak everybody out." Kyle advised.

"I'll take note of that." I replied. "Oh, Hazuki, I want you to have this." I took off my fox-shaped pendant and handed it to her.

"Really?" She gasped. "But I thought you ... "

"Take it as my assurance that I'll look after you." I smiled. "Just remember to tell me if it starts to act up, OK?"

"OK!" She gave a thumbs-up.

"Kyle, you're going to have to go into the Pokeball, if you don't mind." I said to the human-turned-Lapras.

"I'm fine. Just let me out once in a while." He said, disappearing in a flash of light. Hazuki carefully clipped his Pokeball onto her belt.

"Come on." I gestured. "It's time to go."

* * *

**Kris **

I sprang onto Scantrix, knocking him over and holding my bladed claws at his throat.

"You expect me to believe that that murderer would have anything good to do with me?!" I roared. "I've been through hell, but I haven't forgotten what he's tried to do in the past!"

"Times change." Scantrix calmly replied, staring me in the eye. "And we must change with them. He desires only to have a chat with you. I'd think that taking up his offer would certainly be better than staying here to die. Besides, I'm sure you know he has no love for Team Rocket either. Still, it is your choice."

I considered my options. Scantrix had a reasonable deal.

"All right. I accept." I growled, letting him up. "When's the raid?"

"0400 hours. That's about two hours away. We'd do best to get some rest." He suggested. "I hope you're ready for some high action."

"Action is what I live for." I winked.

* * *

**Hazuki**

The long sloping path led us up, out of the cavern and into a grassy field. It was still dark, around 4 am, and we glanced around, trying to get our bearings. We seemed to be on an isolated patch of land with a large river nearby. Surrounding us was a low mountain range.

"Look there." Nightslice pointed. "See that building on the other side of the lake? I believe it's the Ruins of Alpha Research Center that we read about."

"I think you're right." I nodded. "Let's go take a look. Maybe they can help us."

I was leading the group across the field when Nightslice suddenly tackled me, slamming me to the ground.

"Down! Everyone!" He hissed.

"What's going on?" I asked.

He showed me something he'd caught in his hand: a dart.

"A tranquilizer." He noted, turning it over and examining its markings. "Team Rocket's. They're here. Shhhh ... be quiet."

Everyone did as he requested. Nightslice put a hand on his sword and begun glancing around. We were hidden amongst the long grass, beside a tree near to the slope, against the mountainside. I waited, heart pounding, for several uneasy moments.

All of a sudden, two figures in black combat suits leapt down from the slope. Nightslice sprang up, sword in hand and dispatched one almost immediately. The second one managed to throw a punch on his direction, which caused him to stumble. Ahsura lashed out with his vines and knocked the attacker's gun out of his hands, momentarily stunning him. It was enough was Nightslice to spring back up and promptly decapitate the soldier.

Nightslice quickly gestured for us to move. We got us and ran, dropping to the ground as a bunch of lights were shone down on our previous location.

"Damn, how'd they find us?" He cursed. "Wait there."

He crawled back and managed to get his hands on one of the dead soldier's Glock pistols. However, the Rockets also spotted him and begun firing. Nightslice rolled for cover behind the tree and returned fire.

The lights scattered and the soldiers ducked for cover.

"Your fight is admirable, but you can't win!" A voice called out. "We know you have the girl. Just give her to us and you can leave without harm."

_What?! Team Rocket was after me? _

Nightslice held his hand up to his lips, indicating for me to be quiet.

"What do scumbags like you want with a kid?" He asked. "She's pretty harmless if you ask me."

"She may seem that way." The Rocket commander replied. "But what she is really is a freak of both science and nature. A Chimera."

_WHAT?! _

Ahsura had to wrap his vines around my mouth to prevent me from screaming that out.

"A cross of both Pokemon and human. Her parents were part of the research team. They reported her embryo as dead and replaced it with a decoy, her mother implanting the real one into herself and thus, bringing her up."

I clenched my fists in anger.

"And what will you do once you have her?" Nightslice pushed.

"That is none of your concern." The voice replied. "You can give her up now and leave, or we will take her by force. What is your decision?"

"You want to know what my decision is?!" Nightslice yelled back. "You can just GO TO HELL!!"

He sprang out from behind the tree and begun firing. I couldn't see what he was shooting at, but considering the cries of pain, he was hitting someone.

"You'll pay for that! Kill him!"

Nightslice emptied the Glock and tossed it aside, morphing into his Scyther form. His clothes seemed to meld into the transformation, but his backpack and sword remained strapped to his back, now between his wings.

"Now!" He hissed. "Shadow Image!"

Multiple images of him appeared, similar to a Double Team, and rushed towards the approaching Rockets, who were running and jumping down the slope. The soldiers opened fire, but they couldn't hit the illusions of course.

The thing was, the illusions could hit them, as they quickly found out. The soldiers that were still standing jumped back and released their Pokemon instead.

Riptide leapt out and launched his Psychic against a pair of Victreebel. Ahsura fired his Razor Leafs at an Onix. Luminair leapt up and electrocuted a Slowbro. Unfortunately, that Thunderbolt lit up the dark area, giving away his position. Two Magneton took the opportunity to attack.

The Jolteon was stunned and sent flying.

"Luminair!" I cried. My hand clutched the fox-shaped pendant around my neck. "THUNDER SHIELD!"

The attack had suddenly come to my mind. Everyone hesitated except for Luminair as he righted himself in mid-air and created a barrier of electrical energy around himself. The Thunderbolt attacks were absorbed into his shield.

"LIGHTNING REVERSAL!" I commanded.

"Feel my fury!" He growled, sending off a huge blast of rolling thunder. That made short work on not only the Megnaton, but several other Rockets as well.

"Hazuki, what was that?!" Nightslice gasped.

"How ... how did you make me do it?" Luminair gasped, equally stunned.

"I don't know!" I cried, clutching the pendant.

"A Chimera technique?" I heard one of the remaining Rockets say. "Wait, that pendant!"

"Could it be? A Pokément metal? Or at least an alloy?"

"We have to get it! We'll get a huge rewards for this!"

"GO AWAY YOU BASTARDS!" I screamed, pulling the pendant off and holding it up. "FROZEN ORB!"

This attack, however, was my own. I threw off a spiked ball of ice from my free hand into the closest of our attackers. As it struck the Rocket, it broke up into many more sharp blades of ice, impaling several others around.

"What the?!" I gasped, dropping to my knees. "How?!"

"Look out!" Nightslice jumped and knocked me to the ground and someone fired his gun.

I lost the pendant somewhere in the tall grass.

"Run!" He ordered.

"But the pendant!"

"Never mind!"

He grabbed me in his arms, being careful not to accidentally cut me with his sword-like claws, and ran as bullets sprayed around us.

"Stop firing!" Someone commanded. "We need the girl alive!"

Nightslice raced towards the river, with the Pokemon in tow. I'd failed to notice it before, but it was a raging, fast moving river. And we plunged right into it.

* * *

**Kris **

As hard as I tried, I couldn't get any sleep. So instead, I decided to 'press' Scantrix for more information.

Scantrix told me about he too had been thrown into a cell and forced to fight battle after battle. He'd been trying to communicate the whole time, but he was never understood by anyone. He'd lived through 4 years of that suffering until one day, he was approached by a Scyther in a neighboring cage.

That Scyther was Alugard, who told him about forming a 'secret Pokemon organization'. He'd found it hard to believe, but Alugard had promised that he would be busted out the next day while being transported on a truck.

All happened as Alugard had said and he'd joined up with Stormwind, Firefly and a bunch of his other 'recruits'. They'd needed a Pokemon with his knowledge of human technology to help build up their organization and he'd been too happy to help.

As I pushed him for more things, he began to talk more about Alugard, the Legendary Dragons and the Chimera projects of TR and Sliph. (Note: these have all been explained earlier in the series, so I'm not going to repeat it.)

The last of the three especially made me feel sick about the human race. Those made me want, even more, to go out and kill a bunch of Rockets.

But the dragons part was interesting. At a previous encounter with our nemesis, Alugard had mentioned the 'Knights of Kaiser'. I now found out that it referred to the 8 dragons that'd once been on Kaiser's side. Formerly being one of them, Alugard had sensed their awakening.

I let Scantrix rest his voice as I told him my story. Only thing was I didn't know how I'd suddenly become a Pokemon. And so, the hour of judgment drew nearer.

"It should be about now." Scantrix said.

Right on cue, an explosion rocked the area. Screams were heard and alarms blared.

"What the?!" I gasped.

The cell's door was promptly blown open. In it stood a Scizor clad in a silver Kevlar Vest and wearing a helmet with a red visor. One that had been our greatest enemy in the past was turning out to be my rescuer.

"Well Kris, what do you think of our jailbreak?" He grinned.

"Cut the crap." I snarled at him. "You know I still don't trust you Alugard."

"But of course. I expected that of you." Alugard replied. "However, we should discuss this in a more secured location. Come on!"

I followed Alugard and Scantrix out into the corridor to witness an astonishing sight. All around, various Pokemon were attacking the Rockets. From the ferocious Houndoom to tiny Rattata and a gigantic Steelix.

It was chaos, in a way I never could've imagined.

"Not bad for a first time raid of this scale." Alugard laughed. "Anyway Kris, this happens to be a Rocket base up at the mountains around Blackthorn City."

"The Blackthorn City base?!" I gasped. I should've guessed it earlier from the design of the cells. "I know this place! I've worked here before in the past!"

"How convenient." Alugard remarked. "I assume you know the layout fairly well."

"Hell yes. It's hard to forget considering the time I spent here." I nodded. "Both as a human and as a Scyther."

"Unfortunately, the Rocket boss left weeks ago. Even so, how would you like to give Team Rocket a little payback?"

"What do you mean?"

"See this?" An Alakazam appeared next to him and dropped a large brown bag. It was filled with C4s.

"I don't believe this." I gasped, staring at the collection of plastic explosives.

"You should believe it my dear. There's enough firepower in here to blow this place to kingdom come." Alugard said proudly. "We did hack into their files, but not enough of them. We couldn't risk being traced, after all. So if you could get us into the generator room..."

I didn't even need him to finish his sentence. I knew exactly what he wanted to do. It was something I wanted too.

"Let's sent these bastards to hell!" I growled.

Alugard's helmet left his lower jaw exposed, allowing me to see the wide grin that crept across his face.

* * *

**Jade **

I roared, pulling on the rope, in turn throwing the human that held onto it off the cliff. Battling atop this high mountain was to my advantage.

His comrades cried out at yet another of their losses.

_You will rue the day you dared mess with me! _

Three humans remained. And now, that my mouth was free, I unleashed my flames upon them. Two of them went down, burning to the bone. The last man turned to flee, but I wasn't done yet.

_None shall escape my wrath! _

I flew after him and caught him in my jaws. He was screaming all the way until I crunched down. I then sliced him horizontally with my claws, taking great pride in seeing his blood flow.

All around lay the charred, bleeding or headless bodies of my enemies, both human and Pokemon. These fools had tried to attack me, the most powerful of the Charizard, and had paid the price for their foolishness.

Like all warriors, I was not immune to damage, having taken multiple cuts and bruises, but I had emerged triumphant. Nothing would deter me from reaching my destination.

However, I now head a huge meat feast ready for my personal enjoyment.

_And so to the victor, go the spoils of war ... _

* * *

**Kris **

"This way!" I yelled, leading the group.

I was constantly amazed at how the Pokemon grouped up and took out the supposedly superior humans. There were casualties of course, but that was quite unavoidable with all the guns blazing.

With Alugard and Scantrix behind me, and the Alakazam doing short distance teleports, we flew through the maze of winding corridors. It was rather exhilarating to be using my wings for the first time, but I didn't have time to enjoy that either. I was trying to recall what I knew of the base's layout.

It's amazing what you can remember when you really need to. We soon found ourselves at a huge, electronic door.

"Damn, it's locked by a pass code!" Scantrix muttered, glaring at the numerical key panel.

"Can you break it?" Alugard asked the Alakazam.

"Don't bother." I told them.

I fired a Hyper Beam into the left wall, blowing a hole in it. Not so much because of the beam, but rather the machinery and circuitry exploding on the other side of the wall. The door gave an electronic crackle and slid open.

"Those idiots built the control panel on the other side of the wall." I laughed.

"Man, I like you already girl!" Scantrix gasped.

"Hurry up, we're got a job to do." Alugard reminded us.

We entered the room, true to its name, that was filled from wall to wall with all sorts of machinery and power generators.

"Start setting the charges." Alugard ordered like a general. "Move! Move! Move!"

Both him and the Alakazam went about this immediately.

Scantrix had to use his mouth to pick up the C4's and stick them onto the various machines. I mimicked his action with my own jaws, seeing my bladed claws were unable to pick up anything. When there was just one C4 left in the bag, Scantrix and I both reached for it.

We ended up bumping heads and giving each other odd stares. Alugard then stepped between us and grabbed the last explosive.

"You two had better not loiter around. This place'll be going up in five." He said. "Scantrix, you take Kris out of here. I'll be setting the last charge, then passing out the evac alarm."

He nodded towards the Alakazam, who teleported away to carry out his orders.

"Come on." Scantrix told me. "I'll show you the shortest way!"

I followed the Skarmory back into the hallways. I forced myself to ignore the stanch of blood all around, the moans of the wounded and dying, the dead bodies of all types that lay scattered around. It had been a bloodbath, but this victory had certainly gone to the Pokemon.

They'd had the advantage in the sense that the Rockets weren't entirely prepared for an all-out attack from Pokemon without trainers. Alugard had claimed that their communications system had been knocked out, thus further throwing them into a panicked fray.

I was dashing as fast as I could when I spotted something that made me stop.

"Wait!" I yelled.

"What is it?!"

I flew down and landed beside one of the 'bodies'. It was that of a teenage girl with long, shoulder length black hair, lying facedown on the floor. Unlike the others, she didn't have her uniform on. I put my snout to her neck, found she was still breathing and turned her over.

"Nala!" I gasped. I remembered this was the girl that had spoken to me, way back on the ship.

"You ... you know my d... this girl?" Scantrix asked. His voice had broken slightly when he'd asked me that, but I didn't have time to ask him why.

"She's not like the rest of these bastards. Unlike them, she isn't here by choice." I said softly. "I have to save her! Help me!"

"Erm ... yes, of course!" Scantrix had something on his mind, but decided not to say anything else as he helped place the girl over my shoulder.

It was much harder flying with a passenger, but I forced my aching muscles to work. Scantrix blew open an elevator door and we flew up the shaft. The elevator was above and rapidly falling towards us.

"This is gonna be a close one!" Scantrix warned.

He suddenly swerved and blew open the door of a higher level, flying through it. Like a fighter plane in formation, I followed, barely avoiding being crushed by the falling elevator.

After that it was just a straight flight out, via shattering some windows, and down into the forest below. As Scantrix and I finally landed, exhausted, we looked up just in time to see the Rocket Base erupt into a huge ball of flames.

For a while, neither of us could speak. We just sat there and smiled at each other. It was the satisfaction of having survived this breath-taking encounter.

But then Nala began to stir. It must've been quite a shock for her, waking up to stare into the faces of two very fierce-looking Pokemon.

Gasping, she crawled back up against a tree.

"Relax it's OK." I tried to comfort her. I almost hit myself when I realized she wouldn't be able to understand me.

"She says that it's all right now." I glanced towards Scantrix in surprise as he spoke human speech. "You're safe now Nala, and free of Team Rocket."

"I..." The confused girl looked up towards the burning base, higher up the mountain. "I'm really free ... at last. But who are you? How to you talk?"

"You may think of us as your guardian angles." Scantrix said. "But you must leave now, before anyone else comes. Go out, and live the life that's been taken from you."

Nala nodded, scrambling to her feet. She then looked towards me.

"Are you ... the Scyther ... I...?"

I let her reach over my hand and touch the scars along my back. The ones she herself had inflicted. She then threw her arms around me and gave me a hug.

"Thank you." She said, tears coming to her eyes.

There was no need for words as I returned her embrace. She then went over to Scantrix and gave him a hug too. The Skarmory looked a little shocked, but he folded his wings around her as best as he could.

"Better go Nala." He whispered.

Nala gave a firm nod, wiped the tears from her eyes, than ran off into the forest. Blackthorn City wasn't very far away and I felt she'd be able to reach it.

Scantrix turned away from me. He was crying, and I really mean shaking with tears pouring down. As much as I wanted to know why, I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"I'll show you to the base." Scantrix said. "It's not far away."

* * *

**Grix**

"Jade!" Firestorm yelled swinging his fist. "Watch out!"

"Ow!"

Firestorm shook himself out of his vision, realizing he'd just punched Dracia in the face.

"Oh no! I'm sorry Dracia!" He gasped, helping the fallen Dragonite up.

"Damn! Even as a human you hit hard." She groaned, rubbing her sore nose.

"But I saw Jade! There was a fight, but he won! I know where he's going now!"

He'd spent two weeks now, training at my lair to strengthen both his psychic powers and hold his Charizard form. I'd put him through several of my training exercises in his best interest, but he ended up referring to it as 'mental torture.'

Maybe it was because he felt uneasy staying in a safe place while his friend was out in the world and facing unknown dangers. I'd tried my best to get him to focus, but that thought had just kept on coming to his mind.

It wasn't that I didn't sympathize with his situation. I wasn't heartless, after all. But how could he help anyone if he couldn't help himself first? Firestorm had considerable talents, which his companions clearly respected, but he was still brash and impulsive. Something I felt, in the long run, would put him and his friends through a lot of excessive trouble.

While the pair was standing in the passageway outside my chamber, they were speaking loudly enough for me to hear. Obviously, they'd never considered the echo effect of the cave.

"A valley of Charizard?" Dracia was asking.

"Yes. It's approximately past Violet City in Johto, around the mountain ranges west of there." Firestorm said excitedly. "A 'Charisific Valley', where the strongest of all Charizard go. We'll search around that area and ask the locals if we have to. Someone will definitely know!"

"But what about your training?" She asked.

"I know I promised Grix, but this may be the once chance I have to find Jade." Firestorm insisted. "If we leave now, we should be able to catch up with him as he reaches the valley."

"Even if we find him, you may not be able to perform the restoration process properly." Dracia warned. "Grix hasn't even started teaching you about that yet."

"I don't care! It's his fault to wasting so much time telling me to run here, run there and hold those damned weights. I'll drag Jade all the way down here and make Grix perform the restoration if I have to."

"I have a bad feeling about this." The Dragonite sighed.

"Dracia, please." Firestorm pleaded. "Don't you want Jade back too?"

"Yes, but I'm concerned about the rest of us as well. And yourself for that matter." She replied.

"I know. But I have to do this." He insisted.

"Oh, all right." Dracia finally gave in.

"Thank you. Tell the others that we're moving out."

I heard the beating of wings as the Dragonite took off. Firestorm peered back my chamber to see me with my head down and eyes closed. It looked to him like I was either asleep or in meditation.

"I'm sorry Grix." He said softly. "I know I haven been the best student. I do respect what you were trying to do to help us, but ... I have to do this. I'll see you around, I hope."

His footsteps then faded down the passageway.

I sighed.

(Looks like you've got problems Grix. ) Zian's telepathic voice spoke into my mind.

"Indeed." I replied. "Better get someone to watch him, just in case."

(Don't worry, I'm on the job. And, try to relax a little. They'll work it out, somehow or other, no matter whether he has to walk through hell and back. ) He assured. (I can feel it. )

"I know. Give him my regards."

(Will do Grix. Will do. )

* * *

**Kris **

"Wow, this is..." I gasped, staring at the sight in front of me.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Scantrix grinned.

Secret was certainly a fitting description for this base, considering the maze of caverns and tunnels of Mount Silver that we'd flown through to get here. But what truly amazed me was the place itself.

It was like one of those 'James Bond' style secret headquarters, but run entirely by Pokemon of all sorts. What I was looking at now was a communications room with Alakazam operators.

"The Alakazam generally have a high intelligence level, so they're ideal for this purpose." Scantrix explained. "Slowbro can serve this purpose too, but that's like comparing a 56k to a cable modem, if you get what I mean."

Turned out that this was an abandoned army base that ran on solar and hydropower. They'd simply moved in and made use of the facilities.

They'd created an entire Pokemon military society down here, hidden form the eyes of the world. Like any military base, there was the barracks, medical areas, training grounds and communications areas. There were some computers around, used for hacking purposes and getting online if need be. Of course, that was by tapping into a space-bound satellite using their own satellite dish, which the military had conveniently left behind.

Other than by word of mouth, they relayed messages via a radio earpiece designed for their various field agents. This enabled them to more easily communicate with their home base. Stolen Team Rocket technology put to good use.

"I assume this would be considered impressive by your standards." Alugard appeared in the doorway.

"It is, but what's the point of showing me all this?" I asked.

"To put it directly and simple Kris, I'm offering you a place here, with us."

"WHAT!?" I yelled. "Do you know what you're asking?! I haven't forgotten our 'incidents' in the past."

"That may be true, but ... " He tapped a claw against his chest. "I've had quite a bit of time to think about everything. Let me explain everything from the beginning. You already know I fought under the dragon Kaiser in the ancient wars."

"Yes." I nodded.

"I was a dragon of bug element then, but now I've been reborn into a new body, a new life. Seeing myself as the one time second-in-command, I felt it was my solemn duty to fulfill the prophecy of the resurrection. Which was the reason for our conflicts, because I needed Nightslice to accomplish this. I admit that I was rather rash then."

"And what makes you different now?"

"I recently felt the awakening of my brethren who'd survived the war. Each one is following the path they choose for themselves now. And if they willingly did that, why couldn't I? What stopped me? My own insistence of living up to my name?"

"And your point being?"

"I now realize that a priority should be taken in eliminating those who threaten Pokemon and it so happens they are a threat to humanity as well."

"Namely Team Rocket and Sliph."

"Indeed. And that's what I'm asking of you to form this alliance, to help in the battle against these fractions."

"And once you succeed?" I queried.

"I will not lie on this point. We may very likely go back to being enemies, but the odds of either of our sides winning would be much greater, as opposed to fighting several rival groups. I'll hope you consider this. However, I will not force you into this. Should you disagree with my argument, I'll let you walk out of here and that would be the end of our business."

I considered it for a long while. I was a Scyther now, however it had happened, with no clear way of being able to get back my human body. No way to contact my former comrades too. Yet, I was being offered a place from which I could strike back at Team Rocket, who'd played a major part in the torment of my life, and at their enemies, Sliph.

"If you have any queries, we'll answer them." Scantrix assured.

"Do you have a certain game plan?" I asked.

"Actually, we do." Alugard spoke, showing us a fox shaped pendant in his pincers. "Stormwind and Firefly got this from a Rocket near the Ruins of Alpha. It's a metal known as Pokément. Basically Pokément alloy makes Pokemon stronger. They allow hidden abilities in Pokemon to surface such as unique attacks."

"And we're hoping this will give us the edge in the battle." Scantrix added in.

"So, you raid their facilities." I muttered.

"Will you join us Kris?" Scantrix asked, holding out a wing as if to shake my 'hand'. "I... we would really appreciate your abilities."

A thousand things went through my mind.

"Swordia ... My name is Swordia. And I agree." I gave Scantrix a claw to wing high-five. "Just as long as you can teach me to speak human language again."

"It'll be my pleasure." Scantrix winked.

* * *

_It was all a really huge game of chance, but I thought I could bend it in my advantage. God, I was so naive ... _


	11. Eve of the Storm

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Eve of the Storm **

By nightdragon0

**Nigthslice**

"Hazuki, you there?"

I walked over to where she was sitting, beside the fire. We'd camped at the foot of a small mountain, just at the start of a dirt trail leading up.

After pulling ourselves out of that river, we'd basically just kept on running from town to town, but keeping a low profile at the same time. It had worked so far and we'd had no encounters from Team Rocket lately.

Hazuki had been unusually quiet for the past few weeks, but I understood what she was going through. You suddenly find out your parents weren't who you really thought they were and that you're a part Pokemon, part human Chimera and I guess you'd be pretty hard struck.

"I still can't believe they lied to me." She sighed, referring to her parents. "They were more than just mechanical engineers."

"If you look at it from their point, it was probably to protect you." I said, sitting down next to her. "Besides, since you've inherited the skill, I think at least one must've been genuinely in the field. Since they were husband and wife, I guess they sort of got into each other's work."

I'd told her several variations of that phrase, but she seemed to enjoy every time I comforted her like that. As I stood up, I felt the ground shake slightly.

"Hazuki! Move!" I yelled pulling her away.

"What the?!"

The ground near us burst open. The creature that popped out was another of the Legendary Dragons, I practically felt it. He was massive and slivery, somewhat like a much longer version of a Dragonair. And also much larger. His dark brown skin was mostly covered by rock-like scales.

_Rock type! _I realized. _That would mean he'd be susceptible to water and grass attacks. _

"Ahsura!" I called, seeing all three Pokemon rushing towards us. "Razor Leaf!"

The Ivysaur fired, only to have the Rock dragon dodge and burrow underground.

"Riptide!" I gestured towards the hole, intending for the Golduck to fire a water attack down it.

He'd hardly taken two steps before the snake-like dragon burst out from the ground beneath him, tossing Riptide into the air. The dragon then used his tail to give Riptide a smack, sending him into a tree, unconscious.

"He's fast for a rock type!" Luminair exclaimed.

The dragon reared back his head and sent a bunch of rocks flying.

"Scatter!" I ordered, shifting to my Scyther form as I ran.

Hazuki let out Kyle, who sent an Ice Beam towards the dragon. Once again, the dragon burrowed and re-emerged to attack, wrapping his long body around the Lapras.

"Gark! Hey! Take … it easy!" Kyle gasped. "I'm not a melon!"

"Luminair, we'll Dual Tech him!" I declared, leaping up and preparing for a Sky Attack.

"Here, go!"

I saw the flash as the Reflect technique was applied on me.

"Counter Rockets!" Readying my wings, I descended.

The dragon turned and attacked with his Rock Slide, which bounced off my barrier. I smacked the side of his face with my wings, sending him topping over, and letting go of Kyle. I rolled away as he hit the ground with his tail, rocking the area with his Earthquake.

Charging my powers, I used my Disintegration skill. It was similar to the Faint Attack's 'flash in and out', and I rushed by, slashing at his body. I held my pose there, with my claws outstretched, as he collapsed, with some of his rock-like scales flying off.

"Ow … hmmm … nice of you to use Issui's ability on me." He moaned.

"Don't mention it." I laughed.

"Anyway, my name is Gyzem, the Rock Dragon."

"Yeah, you got the looks to match it." Hazuki said, walking over and brushing his side. "Wow, this scale looks like a star."

"Hazuki …" I begun.

"Can I have it Gyzem-san? Please?"

"What do I look like? A gift shop?!"

"Please?" Hazuki gave him the teary-eyed look.

"Oh, all right. Since you're so cute. But you have to give me a kiss first."

"Excuse me?! Don't you have a Forbidden Skill to give me?" I interrupted, annoyed.

"Ah yes receive this, Stone Prison. An amalgam of Rock Slide and Whirlwind. A Rock elemental move that swirls up rocks in a tornado like attack, used to form a cage of stone around target."

I gasped, letting the energy flow into my body.

"I'm getting close to completing the set of 8." I noted. "What happens if I do?"

"That choice is yours to make." Gyzem replied. "I'm sure you'll know it when the time comes to pass. It may even awaken Kaiser himself."

"But what if I do? His spirit is within me ... "

"Part of it at least." Gyzem said. "However, we are no longer bound to him, or the Holy Dragon Harasalt."

"What will happen to you and the other dragons if the gods should awaken to battle again?" I asked. "Or something to that extent?"

"We shall see. After all, the future holds many possibilities, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but you ... "

"Haha, we are the legends long forgotten by time." He laughed. "However, yours is still being written, right now even. 'Follow the path of your heart', is what Grix would say."

I nodded, backing away. The dragons were providing a background role, passing on their techniques, but not directly interfering. I felt that they wouldn't be fighting for the fate of the world anytime soon.

"Oh," Hazuki waved. "About that kiss ... "

She walked up to Gyzem and actually kissed him on the cheek. The rest of us were giving them odd stares.

"Wow, I've never really been ... ahem, never mind. Here kid, you can take one."

"Thanks." Hazuki grinned, pulling the rock-hard scale off his 'belly' area.

"Well, I must be going now." Gyzem said. "Farewell then."

With that, he burrowed into the ground and disappeared.

"Ow, damn I got my tail kicked by a Rock-type." Riptide groaned, unhappy about the battle.

"You win some, you lose some, I'd say." Kyle replied.

"By the way, where were we headed again?" Ahsura asked.

"Seeker Town." I replied, shifting back to human form. "It's somewhere Northwest of Pallet Town, along the Johto-Kanto border. We should be about four days walk away, since we have to get over this mountain pass."

"Looks so much like those stars on the Christmas tree." Hazuki muttered, fingering the scale. "It'll be my first Christmas away from home."

"Christmas? Oh man, it's five days away, isn't it?" I gasped. "I'm sorry. I've been so caught up in my own ... "

"No, don't worry. I understand."

"Well, we'll arrive on Christmas eve." I calculated. "I'm sure you'd like to go round the town for a bit."

"Really? You're the best Yorukiru-san!" She smiled, giving me a hug.

The ground stirred and Gyzem's head popped up, startling both of us.

"Whoops, sorry to interrupt folks, but I'd just like to let you know that deep underground, an old temple lies several miles away from that human settlement nearby. It holds one of our, 'darker' warriors. It's dangerous, but I suppose you'd have to go there eventually."

"Thanks for the tip." I nodded. "Any other info?"

"But sure to know thy partner."

"Huh?"

"You'll understand in good time." The Rock dragon replied. "And Hazuki?"

"Yes?"

"If you'll give me another kiss, I'll let you take a couple more scales." He winked. "Two for the price of one, what do you say? I'll give you more discounts for more kisses."

Hazuki's face went red. She raised her foot and stomped his head back into the ground. The stunned dragon could do nothing but let off a muffled cry.

(Everyone sweatdrops.)

* * *

**Firestorm **

"Yargh!" I jumped away from the Rollout attack of the legendary dragon known as Jintai.

This dragon was like a rather large lizard with a dorsal fin down her back, and short and slithery legs. She had dark brown skin and fierce eyes to match those, which were now glaring at us.

Dracia threw a Thunderbolt at her, only to stare in shock as the dragon simply shook off the attack like it had been nothing.

"Ground type!" Aigul realized.

As if on cue, Jintai dug a hole and burrowed underground. She swiftly emerged, using her Dig attack, right between Mirage and Serac. That sent both the Ponyta and Vaporeon flying.

The terrain was pretty much to her advantage too. A dirt road between the sides of two mountains with nothing around in front ... but a lake behind us! The idea hit me, but I realized it would also be a dangerous one.

"Hey, over here!" I yelled, throwing a fireball to get her attention. "Hargh!"

Spreading my arms, I channeled my inner powers and felt the changes begin. My human skin changing to the rougher scales, my claws and fangs that shot out with swishing sounds, the wings and tail that emerged.

I was Charizard once more. But I couldn't hold it for too long, not without getting Jade back first, so I had to make good use of it.

I fired my Flamethrower, setting up a wall of fire in front of me, but also backing off towards the lake. The ground dragon did exactly as I'd expected. She burrowed under the firewall and attempted to emerge and surprise me from beneath. I jumped away, and took a few steps back, sending a fireball at her. It hit her in the face, enraging her.

She came in another Rollout, but this time I held my ground. I timed my attack as accurately as I could, and stepped to the side, grasping onto her once she got near. What I caught was her fin, which at her motion of spinning, cut deeply into my hands.

Ignoring the pain, I pulled back, sending both of us into the water.

Now in water, all Charizard and similar pre-evolutions have to worry about their tail flame. While unconsciously, the flame represents our physical condition, we can intentionally and temporarily dim down our tail flames in water, whether completely or just so there's a little left. Of course, doing this for a greatly extended period of time can be fatal.

(Author's note: This just happens to be my personal theory, but I feel it sounds reasonable.)

Kris had given me quite a bit of special training, so I was able to hold off my tail flame for longer periods of time. I'd really hated it, but she said it was to make up for our main weakness. Still, way back when we'd escaped the sunken boat, I'd probably made a Charmeleon (which I was then) swimming record.

While I wasn't too keen on trying to make the first swimming Charizard record too, the thought just hit me as we sank down underwater, wrestling vigorously.

A ground type wouldn't like water much more than me and it was turning into a competition of seeing which of us could hold against our weakness the longest. I imagined the others yelling like crazy back on the surface.

I was on the upper limits of my endurance when I finally felt her struggling slowing down. With a final burst of strength, I shoved her up and launched myself up after her. We ended up on the riverbank, coughing, spluttering and throwing up water.

"Jeez, what did you do Storm? Swallow the whole lake?" Dracia asked, beating my back as I coughed.

"Whew ... you just ... reminded me ... how much I hate water." Jintai panted. "Just like that time ... I was about to dissect Kioi and ... Issui came to his rescue by ... spraying me all ... over."

"War time memories?" Aigul asked, walking over.

"This Sacred skill had better be worth the trouble." I gasped, reverting back to human form.

"You won't be disappointed. Here, receive X-Strike. A dual ability involving Flamethrower and Quick Attack. One of your allies must charge your claws with the Flamethrower, allow you to perform a fire-based strike."

"Hmmm ... we have auras and dual techs. What's next, triple techs?"

"You'll be surprised." Jintai grinned. "See you around."

"Hey wait ... "

Jintai burrowed underground and disappeared before I could even complete my sentence.

"I was gonna ask for your phone nu ... urgh!"

Dracia smacked me on the head.

"I mean, let's get back to what we were doing before that fool interrupted us and head on to Violet City!"

That was when the area shook and several boulders fell, blocking up the pathway that led between the mountains. Jintai had apparently heard me and wasn't too happy about it. And it so happened that it was the way we needed to go.

"Jeez, girls are truly evil." I said aloud.

That was when I remembered that every Pokemon we currently had WAS female. And they were all giving me nasty stares.

"Hey, that was just a joke." I nervously giggled. "You know? Haha?"

"Get him ladies!" Dracia ordered.

"OH SH -- OW! OW! OW! OW!"

* * *

**Jade **

This was the place. I could feel it in my soul.

I'd flown through the sharp twists and turns of the canyon and was now hovering in front of a huge metal door. It looked as if it had been built into the huge mountain itself. Decorating the river nearby were several Charizard statues.

I was wondering if I should go and barge through the door when it suddenly creaked open. Standing in it was a huge, old Charizard accompanied by a female human.

"I think it's a wild one." The green haired female spoke to the Charizard. "You want to handle this yourself?"

The Charizard nodded, spreading his wings and flying up to me.

"I am the elder of the Charisific Valley." He said. "Do you seek to train here?"

"Yes." I nodded.

He nust've noticed I was looking down to the female human below.

"Human Theresa owns none of us, if that's what you're thinking. She and her family keep other humans away. She is a good friend to the Charizard. You have nothing to fear from her."

The elder had said it in such a way that I immediately believed him. He was ages older than me and certainly did look very battle worn. It was intimidating facing a potentially more experienced opponent, but I had to hold my ground.

"I have come to train here." I repeated.

"Very well. Come." He led me through the doors and into the valley itself.

It truly was a magnificent sight. The mountains, rocky valley, caverns and rivers all untouched by the human world. Except for a small house where the human female apparently lived.

Of course, it was filled with Charizard. Most of them were gigantic and all heads turned towards me as we flew to the center of the valley.

"As with tradition, you will be tested before we allow you to join us." The elder told me. "Who then, will challenge the newcomer?"

He was answered by a series of roars, however one came flying over first.

"I will battle." Growled my opponent.

The elder nodded in approval and landed on a cliff to watch.

"A female?" I laughed.

"Watch it tough guy, you don't know what you're getting into!" She roared.

_Doesn't she remind you of someone? _A voice in my head asked. However, I quickly shook it away.

My opponent attacked, sending off her Flamethrower. My response was to whirl myself around rapidly, using my Swords Dance to disperse the flames. I countered with my own flames and she imitated my technique.

Realizing I couldn't win this with fire alone, I spread up wings and soared upwards. She followed behind me, firing several bursts of flames. I abruptly bent backwards, twisting my body and changing my direction.

We ended up charging towards each other; only she wasn't as prepared as me. I slashed along her back, causing her to cry out in pain. Her wings flared wildly and gave me several cuts.

Angered, she turned back and charged again. I did likewise and our claws, teeth, flames and wings clashed multiple times. Both of us were getting scarred and charred from the battle, but she seemed to be wearing down.

My chance came as I saw her flying towards me, claws outstretched. I held my position and waited until the last instant, then spun round to the side of her body, grabbing her left wing at the same time. I pulled back, redirecting her force and her momentum carried her forward ... face first straight into the mountainside, leaving an impression of her body in it.

She then slipped and begun falling towards the water below. I reacted almost instantaneously, folding my wings and sending myself into a steep, nearly vertical dive. For a few breath-taking seconds, it looked as if I might not be in time.

However, I made it, performing a spectacular midair catch barely meters above the water. I'd just changed my direction in time, sending water flying as I skimmed along its surface. I landed and put her down on dry land.

"Why did you save me?" She asked once she had caught her breath.

"It was the honorable thing to do." I said.

"Well fought." The elder nodded, landing beside us. "You are indeed a formidable warrior. We would be honored to have you join us."

"I'm sorry father. I have failed you." The female Charizard said softly.

"Wait, you're his..."

"Don't be so surprised." The elder laughed. "And you haven't failed." He told her. "You merely need more training. If you're lucky, he might just want to help with that."

The last part had clearly been referring to me. I wouldn't miss this opportunity.

"I'd be happy to." I grinned.

I saw her returning my smile.

At last, I had come home. Not only that, a little more and I'd have myself a mate too.

* * *

**Dracia**

Violet City was pretty much your average human city. Except for all the Christmas decorations that had been set up. Well, it was Christmas Eve after all and the streets were slightly more crowded than usual.

I stood in the waiting area watching Firestorm speak to the tourist agency clerk. Aigul was sitting down on one of the couches with Serac curled up on his lap. They weren't doing anything much, so I turned and started looking around.

My gaze fell upon an Indigo Pokemon League poster. Three months away, but registrations were open already. Serac walked to my side and looked towards the poster too.

"You ever wanted to compete in the League?" I asked.

The Vaporeon nodded.

"Heh, so have I. Pity Jade was always the one who needed the training. You know that book we saw in the store window just now? The one titled **'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pokemon Training'**? That would suit him nicely."

Serac giggled softly.

"Then again, Storm could use that one too." I made sure I said it loudly enough for him to hear it.

Storm gave me an annoyed glance, but turned back to the attendant.

"So, is there a way I can contact Mrs. Theresa?" He asked.

"Not very easily. However, since it's Christmas Eve, her niece should be around town and ... oh Lisa! How fortunate!"

"Hi Wayne!" A beautiful, green-haired girl had entered the shop. "Merry Christmas."

"You too. This gentleman here is Jade, and he needs to discuss some things with you."

Firestorm had assumed Jade's identity. He'd also used Jade's e-mail to contact Professor Oak for some information about Charizard. Of course, he hadn't spilled anything to the researcher.

"Oh, it's all right." Firestorm nodded. "I'll let you two catch up first."

He walked over to us and waited until Lisa came over.

"Jade was it?" She asked, shaking hands. "Pleased to meet a fellow Charizard trainer."

"How did you know?" He asked, surprised.

"There's that subtle scent of the ash on you." Lisa explained. "If you don't mind me saying that."

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Storm said. "You see, my Charizard had a little accident ... "

"Is he hurt?"

"Not really. We were exploring this cave when there was a small earthquake. A rather large rock fell on his head, and after that, he wasn't acting like himself."

"What do you mean?"

"He actually attacked me like he didn't know who I was. After that, he flew off. The knock must've affected his memory somehow. And ... " Firestorm stopped short, staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry." Lisa said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"Thanks, but it probably is. However, I feel I can make up for it. I know he's headed for that Charisific Valley of yours."

"What makes you think so?"

"I don't know ... I just ... just feel that's where he'd go. He's always wanted to be the best and ... I know it's off limits, but please, just let me search there. I don't know what I'd do without him." Although he'd practiced that speech in front of us before, it was genuinely coming from his heart this time.

"Don't worry." Lisa nodded firmly. "It's too late now, but I'll take you to my aunt tomorrow. She'll know if any new Charizard have shown up or not!"

"Late?! Oh no! Have I held you up?"

"Nah, don't worry." Lisa winked. "I'm just gonna rent a room for the night. Why don't you come along and we'll all go together in the morning?"

"Thank you." Firestorm replied.

"Yes, we greatly appreciate it." Aigul added in.

"Say, I know this really great restaurant down the road. Would you like to get something to eat?"

"Sure!" Firestorm beamed.

_WHAT!? _I nearly fainted, but reduced myself to making a vomiting motion behind his back.

* * *

**Swordia**

Why had I done it? I often asked myself that.

For a while, it seemed I'd been going down a declining path to giving in to my raw instincts. It had gotten to a point where thinking had become a major pain. But that had been all in my mind. Psychology is not something I really understand, but it certainly played a part here.

The memories had been painful. In particular was the armband I'd torn off, not wanting to think about how they'd forced another Pokemon to mate with me.

And also that armored creature I'd fought. I still saw it in my nightmares. Alugard somewhat reminded me of it, and after that incident where I'd accidentally knocked him out, he decided he wouldn't be the one to wake me from my dreams.

_Mewtwo. _I recalled the word in my mind that seemed it associate itself with that scene. _Was it that creature's name? I don't really want to find out... _

Time had healed me a little, but those memories still remained.

Now, I was part of this high-level, secret Pokemon organization. I'd formed an alliance with Alugard to fight Team Rocket.

Alugard, Nightslice's father. Having been genetically modified and had several genes taking from Nightslice, it sort of made me his half sister. And looking at it that way, then Alugard was my stepfather.

Damn, I had one messed up family.

I'd abandoned my former persona realizing I had to accept the fact I was no longer human. Accept the fact that there was no way for me to change that, just as Scantrix had.

It really pained him to talk about his human past and I refrained from asking. But he was a great companion and not to mention a good teacher. Even on missions, we always worked as a pair.

It felt strange saying it was a good thing in a certain sense, but at least he now had someone who'd been through the same things he had. We ended up leaning on each other's shoulders for support.

However as I stood on the rooftop of a building in Seeker Town, looking down at the Christmas decorations all set up, I felt a wave of sadness coming over me.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Scantrix asked, flying down and landing beside me.

"Yeah." I sighed sadly. "Both good and bad."

With his help, I'd regained my human language speaking abilities, but I admit it did rather odd on my tongue.

"We think alike then." He said, walking closer to me.

Alugard had given us a break from all the missions involving sneaking around and battling Rockets with guns. There were generally a lot of preparations and planning involved, not mentioning my personal training, but we'd successfully raided and sometimes bombed several small bases belonging to TR and Sliph's Special Forces. We always made it look like it was an attack from the other one, thus further escalating their hatred at each other. The search for the Pokément metal hadn't been very successful through.

This small town happened to be along our path and, out of curiosity, we decided to stop by and take a look. We couldn't allow ourselves to be seen of course, but if we could sneak around a heavily guarded Rocket base, then a civilian town certainly wouldn't be much of a challenge.

Being Christmas Eve, there were many people about on the streets below, all going about their business. There were some Pokemon too, but these were domesticated ones of course.

"Hey, want to see how to get free burgers?" Scantrix asked.

"Lead on." I smiled.

Perhaps there were some good things in my life after all.

* * *

**Hazuki**

"Wow, the lights here are pretty different from the ones I used to know back home in Fuchsia City." I told Nightslice was we walked. We'd recalled all the Pokemon to avoid accidentally losing them in the crowd.

"I admit, this is the first time I've actually seen this sort of thing." He replied. "Living most of my life in a lab and an isolated mountain does have its disadvantages."

The street we were walking on was away from the central ones and thus, relatively quiet. That was, until we heard the screams.

"Here!" Nightslice led me around to corner.

The street-level door of one of the houses had been thrown open and a man was standing in the doorway, pointing a gun into it. He wasn't in any Team Rocket uniform and was probably your average thug, but I knew Nightslice wouldn't stand for it.

"Hey you!" He growled, stepping towards the robber.

"Stay back!" The thug yelled, aiming the gun at Nightslice.

From inside the house came the panicked cries of the residents. There was apparently a party going on and it had been so terribly interrupted.

"Holding poor frightened party goers at gunpoint on Christmas Eve. How low can you scumbags possibly go?" He continued.

"I'm warning you!" The thug yelled. "I'm not afraid to use this!"

"Oh really? Is that why you're trembling?" Nightslice's pace didn't change one bit.

I backed around the corner to make sure I was out of they way, but continued to watch the showdown. I saw the man's hand move as he pulled the trigger.

Time seemed to slow down as Nightslice dropped into a forward roll. The bullet passed inches above his back. He sprang up again and all at once, drew his sword and sliced the gun in half. That was when time sped up again.

The thug cried out in surprised, but reached for his belt and drew a knife. He attacked with a forward stab. Nightslice spun round to the man's knife side and grabbed the thug's right hand with his own, pulling sideways. The motion forced the man to spin around and face Nightslice, who brought his palm to his opponent's face, slamming him to the ground.

It was an Aikido technique for knife disarming, but Nightslice had also let go of his sword in the process.

Although he lost his knife, the thug quickly sprang up and tried to run. Nightslice was faster, grabbing his arm, spinning him round and slamming him chest first into the wall.

"Is everyone all right?" I asked, running over to the house.

The people there were gathered around a middle-aged woman on her knees, sobbing miserably.

"I thought ... he was ... an old classmate." She sniffed between her tears. "He knew the name ... of my college ... my class ... some of my other ... classmates ... and I though ... I'd forgotten him. I wanted to ... to be a ... good host ... that ... I ... I ... "

I saw Nightslice go red with rage. He spun to thug around to face him.

"Dirtbag! You very good at conning kind-hearted ladies, aren't you?!" He roared.

"That's how I do things! Deal with it!"

"YOU DARE TO EVEN SPEAK?!" Nightslice drove his fist into the thug's face. Again, and again. He followed up by kneeing and kicking as well. "HEARTLESS MONSTER!! YOU HAVE NO HONOR WHATSOEVER!! SCUM LIKE YOU ARE WHAT GIVE THE HUMAN RACE A BAD NAME!!"

The man was bleeding at the mouth, nose and from multiple wounds, but Nightslice didn't stop. He started banging the man's head into the wall. He was fully intent on beating the person to death.

"Please, stop." The woman begged. "Stop. They've already called the police. Please ... stop."

Nightslice stared the half-conscious thug in the eye.

"Even after this, you victim shows you mercy. You would have gotten none from me." He slammed the thug into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"Yorukiru-san ... " I muttered.

Nightslice was facing away from everyone, clenching his fists in anger.

"Are you all right madam?" He asked.

"Yes, thanks to you." The woman relied. "But you could've gotten yourself killed!"

"Con men like him prey on the kind-hearted and sadly sometimes gullible." He said fiercely. "They're always out there. It's a shame how people never think it can happen until it happens. You should be more careful in the future."

As he begun to walk off, I noticed the blood dripping from his right hand. The knife must've cut him when he brought the robber down.

"Your hand!" The woman gasped. "It's bleeding!"

"I'm OK." He insisted.

"No. After what you've done for me, this is the very least I could do to repay you." She said, grasping his arm. "Come inside."

Several other people stood around the thief to watch him while one ran and got a first-aid kit and some bandages.

"Yorukiru-san ... " I put a hand on his lap.

"I just so hate assholes like that." He said to me. His expression conveyed the rest.

The was a lot of talk when the police arrived, but he soon found himself outside, shaking the Officer Jenny's hand.

"The world could use more people like you." She smiled. "And so could the police."

"It was just the right thing to do." Nightslice replied.

As the police left, we prepared to depart as well. However, the woman stopped us again.

"Oh I forgot to say, my name is Jenna. I'm the manager of the Four Seasons Hotel in this town. And ... "

"The Four Seasons?!" I gasped. "You mean that five-star hotel in the center of town?!"

"Yes. And I absolutely must insist on you staying the night there. Every expense on my personal account. Please, after what you've done for me ... "

"I guess I'm obliged to accept then." Nightslice replied, smiling at me. I felt that he accepted it on my behalf.

"You have a strong sense of justice son." Jenna spoke. "Those are the same qualities I saw in my own son, who's away on his own journey right now."

_Your son is very lucky to have a mother like you. _I thought. _Just like my parents ... _

* * *

**Aigul**

Firestorm seemed to be enjoying his chat with Lisa, so I excused myself and left the restaurant with Serac. The streets were a little less crowded now, with people mostly at home celebrating. I walked down the street, lost in thought.

"They'll have to know the truth soon." I told Serac. "I can't keep hiding it from them. It's already pushing the limits of what I can do."

"You'll work it out." She assured. "I trusted that you could. That's why I came along all this time. But I..."

"Please, just bear with me a while longer." I said. "Our part will be over soon, then you'll be free to do as you wish."

"It's not that. Just ... I ... I don't know what I'll do without you. We've been through this for so long."

"You'll have to find your own path. Like I have to believe in mine."

As we walked, I noticed a suspicious figure standing across the road. He was plain clothed with a jacket on, but I sensed it was a Sliph agent. He was probably armed too and was slowly approaching our position.

I pretended to be looking at the display in a nearby shop's window as he came up to me.

"Hey, it's you, isn't it?" He asked rudely.

"No, I'm not the one." I said, probing his mind.

"No, you're not the one." He repeated.

"You're in the wrong location. The people you're looking for aren't here."

"I'm in the wrong location. The people I'm looking for aren't here."

"And you're going to report back to base now."

"And I'm going to report back to base now."

"In fact, you also want to go home and rethink your whole life."

"I'm also going to go home and rethink my whole life." The man said before hurrying off.

"The Jedi mind trick never fails on the weak minded." I commented, watching him go.

"You do have a sense of humor after all." Serac laughed.

"I suppose you'll pick up some things from being around a human society." I nodded. "But that may not be for much longer ... "

I stared at my reflection in the window. My **actual** reflection. Others had described as a white and sliver feathered bird with blue ridges lining his back and a blue 'mask' over his eyes.

"The time is approaches ... "

* * *

**Swordia**

Scantrix's idea of getting 'free burgers' was to wait at one of the drive through fast food outlets and order through the speaker when there were no cars around. Then, he'd wait below the window ledge of the counter until he was sure no one was looking, then grab the bag and fly off.

"Rather dishonorable, isn't it?" I asked as he landed next to me on the rooftop.

"Just once in a while, for fun." He grinned. "Besides, we deserve a break from searching through the trash bins for leftovers. Or going out and hunting."

"Well, I suppose ... "

The smell of the freshly cooked cheeseburgers was just too tempting. Since neither of us had the proper 'hands' for unwrapping the burgers, we basically dug in and, and gulped down the wrapping and all.

Having had my fill, I looked up towards the huge building across the street from our location. It was apparently a hotel and through the windows I could see the guests going about all sorts of things. Parties and movies mostly.

I just happened to be looking in the general direction when something caught my eye. It was in the room at practically the same level as me.

The curtain was partially drawn, but I could see a Jolteon, Golduck, Ivysaur and a Lapras in the room, munching away at something. The street wasn't very wide and I could see further into the room, but the ledge on my roof would make it difficult for the occupants to see me.

Squinting, I could see a belt hung on the window. I was thinking that it looked a lot like the one I used to have when I saw one of the Pokeballs clipped to it. The one with the Marsh Badge design on it.

_Riptide?! _I wondered. Were the Ivysaur and Jolteon my old comrades too? I knew that Sabrina didn't go round giving out those specially designed Pokeballs and the Pokemon combination seemed too coincidental. I knew Riptide wouldn't willingly go along with any stranger, but he was talking and laughing with the others.

_Could Jade be here too?! _My heart raced as I scanned the rest of the room. I realized there was a connecting door that led into the adjoining room and checked that one.

Two people were seated at a dinner table there, a boy and a girl, but the boy definitely wasn't Jade. However, I felt something odd about him. He looked like a Japanese and about 16 years. He was wearing a brown vest and blue jeans. He had black colored hair of ear-length, which was neatly combed back.

There seemed to be nothing usual until he turned to look out the window. That was when I saw his eyes. They were blue, fierce and exactly like a Scyther's.

_Nightslice! _

I didn't know how I knew it. I just felt it. Both his eyes and the three Pokemon in the other room. I watched more closely now and saw him stand up and show off some fancy kicking and dodging maneuvers. And the thing was, I recognized every single one of them as techniques we'd practiced together. I even saw some of the small mistakes he used to make, like not pulling his rear leg up to match the pace of the rest of his body.

_Nightslice ... it IS you! _

There was no longer any doubt in my mind. I'd turned into a Scyther, so was this why he'd turned into a human? Had we switched places somehow? I was wondering what I should to approach him when he sat down and started talking to the girl again. They were eating, drinking and distinctively moving closer to each other.

_Nightslice ... is this how you've been all this time? While my life was a living hell, you were ... _

Then, Nightslice kissed her.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"I'm ... I'm ... I just don't know what came over me." I staggered, backing away.

We'd simply been eating and talking about some of our past experiences. I gotten somehow we'd gotten to a point where I'd said I really cared about her and promised to look after her no matter what. The, I just ... don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have drunk sake out of the bottle.

"No, no. It's perfectly all right." Hazuki blushed slightly. "I've just ... never been kissed by someone like you before. It's my first time ... but it was quite nice."

"Does this ... make humans feel nice?" I asked, still slightly shocked.

"Well, my mom used to say that's it's a natural thing that would happen." Hazuki said softly.

"I see." I nodded shakily. I took a few steps closer. "Then, may I?"

Our lips touched again ...

* * *

**Swordia**

At that moment, something must've snapped inside of me. Perhaps it was jealousy, anger, frustration or something else. My whole body was trembling, but I couldn't find the strength to scream out loud.

_You ... you ..._

I shook my head, desperately forcing it away. He was my half brother after all, not my boyfriend. He seemed so happy now, far away from his previous problems. Something I wished he could have had for a long time. Now that he did, why should I be jealous?

"Swordia? You all right?" Scantrix asked.

"Yes, no problem." I started, remembering that he'd been there the whole time.

"You're sure?" He asked with concern.

"Yes, really. Anyway, we should get moving. Don't think you want to spend the night in the city, do you?"

"Yeah, we'd better find a safe spot in the forest outside." He nodded, spreading his wings and flying off.

I hesitated only for a moment longer to look back. Silently, I bade Nightslice, my half brother, farewell and good luck with his new life. I had my own to deal with now.

* * *

_Alas, Parting is such sweet sorrow ... _


	12. The Christmas Plight

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**The Christmas Plight**

By nightdragon0

**Nightslice**

"Why didn't you come for me?" She asked, standing before me. As I'd always remembered she'd looked. "Things haven't been good. I've been waiting all this time, for you ... "

"Kris, it's not like that." I begged. "I've tried. But I ... "

"I understand." She reached out a hand to touch my human face. "You have your own life now. Like I have mine. Farewell ... "

She turned and begun to walk away.

"Kris! No! Please! Don't go!"

Her form flickered, and then vanished.

That was when I jumped out of bed, sweating, but managed to keep myself from screaming out loud. It was the nightmare I'd simply dreaded.

I awoke this Christmas morning with both a sense of happiness and remorse. I'd come this far, having Hazuki with me. But Kris ...

I tried to shake the thought out of my mind. She certainly wouldn't hold a grudge against me, but I felt I wasn't trying hard enough. I'd been so absorbed in my own quests, regaining my Scyther form, unlocking my forbidden powers, protecting Hazuki from Team Rocket, that I'd forgotten the actual reason I started this journey.

_Kris ... _

What were my options? Sneaking into a Rocket base? If I knew where to find one, that was. I hadn't really considered these things earlier on. Now that I had my original form back, I didn't know where to start. I had a lead to collecting one of my remaining Forbidden powers, was there any point? I could become powerful enough to go barging into a base, but would I be able to find Kris?

"You have that nightmare again?" Hazuki asked, walking over.

"Yeah." I said biting my lip. I noticed the sun was streaming in through the windows. "Looks like I overslept too."

It was a great change, staying in a grand hotel for once. What's more was my ... well ... new experience last night. New as in human-to-human, that was.

"It's because of me right?" Hazuki said softly. "That you've been trying to look after me and not having time to look for ... "

"NO!" I burst out. "Sorry, no. It's just ... I was messed up from the start. I was never was good at future planning and now, I don't know where to go."

"Well, I can give a suggestion. We can explore that temple we were told about first. Then, I'll act as bait. Since Team Rocket is after me already, I'll …"

"No way! I can't let you do that!" I protested.

"Please. I'm not a poor defenseless little girl." Hazuki insisted. "I have to do something to help you too."

"Well, it might just work …"

"Great Yorukiru-san! We'll have plenty of time to come up with a way to attract their attention on our way to the temple!"

I grinned. Sometimes her optimism was quite inspiring.

"Then what are you waiting for? Better get yourself prepared, cause we'll be heading off soon."

* * *

**Firestorm **

_(Author's note: Just in case you're wondering, since this fic takes place BEFORE the TV series' episode of 'Charizard's Burning Ambitions', Ash's Charizard isn't going to be here obviously.) _

"Dracia! Watch it!"

The female Dragonite swerved to the left, barely in time to avoid a rocky outcropping.

"Sorry." She whispered.

I had to admit, she was as much a daredevil flyer as me. Unfortunately, in human form, I don't have wings, which was my cause for concern. At least Aigul and myself were able to hold on.

It was Christmas morning and we were following Lisa and her Charizard, Charla on a winding path through the canyon. I could just feel that the Charisific Valley was close, and so was Jade.

Now, the problem was of how to get him to remember. I shuddered at thinking of what he nearly did to me that time he'd first lost his memory.

"Well, we're here." Lisa told us as we landed. We'd arrived at a lakeside decorated with Charizard statues. In front of it was a huge iron door that looked like it had been built into the mountain itself.

"Wow." I gasped as the door slid open.

"Hello Lisa!" Another green-haired woman greeted. She was a lot older of course.

"Merry Christmas, Aunt Theresa." Lisa smiled. "I've got some friends here I'd like you to meet."

They brought us inside the house and we detailed our problem. Theresa allowed Lisa and Charla to accompany Dracia and myself. The valley's caretaker knew a new Charizard that came in several days earlier had taken up roosting at one of the Western coves.

"Jade, have you thought about what you're going to do if you find your Charizard?" Lisa asked.

"Don't worry. I've got a plan." I replied. Unfortunately, it might also involve giving the girl the shock of her life.

True to its name, there were Charizard everywhere. Many of them looked up in curiosity at us, but did nothing more than that. I did understand what they were discussing. Apparently they knew Lisa and Charla and were wondering what purpose the 'other human' had here.

I ignore them however. My mind as firmly set as I searched out my lost friend. And I just knew it when I saw him. He was standing out on a ledge, together with a female Charizard.

"Dracia, drop me off here." I ordered.

Nodding, the Dragonite complied and flew back into the sky to wait with Lisa and Charla. Jade eyed me curiously as I approached. I wondered if he still remembered me after all this time.

"Jade …" I said softly. It was just as well that the others in the sky couldn't hear me.

He only growled in return, body tensing.

"Old friend. You … you … don't even remember me?"

Jade begun roaring. Lisa was apparently shouting something that I paid no attention to.

"It can't be Jade. Those memories were true. In your heart, you'll know it."

Jade opened his mouth and fired off a large burst of flames. However, I stood my ground, opting to believe in my faith. I felt the singe of the flames as they passed just inches away from my face.

"Jade, please … remember your true self."

He hesitated, a confused look showing in his eyes. Heaven knew what was going through his mind at that moment. Finally, he spoke.

"Jade? I … I …"

Then, I felt something was not right.

"Watch out!" I yelled, leaping forward and knocking Jade over, just as several shots hit the ground.

I screamed in pain as one got me in the right shoulder. My hand became stained with blood when I clutched it. Jade and the female stood up, glancing around for the source of the attacks.

"What the?! Who?" I heard Lisa yell. "Charla!"

I heard Charla's cry. I didn't hesitate the moment I saw them fall. I jumped off the cliff and morphed into my Charizard form. I caught them and dragged them onto a lower ledge.

"Jade? How?" Lisa gasped.

"I'll explain later." I growled.

"Storm!" Dracia called, pointing to a helicopter hovering nearby. It wasn't marked with a Team Rocket logo, but I saw a purplish one with an 'S' like symbol instead.

"The SF's!" I muttered. "Bastards, how'd they find us?"

"Huh? What's this?" Lisa reached up and pulled a circular, metallic object of her collar.

"A tracking device!" I realized. They must've gotten it onto her, sometime while we were walking through the crowded streets. Aigul and I had checked ourselves thoroughly, but not her.

"What? He can turn into a Pokemon?" A masked soldier with a machine gun leaned out of the helicopter's door.

"Who cares?! We have orders for dead or alive, and no witnesses." Another voice replied. "Even if it means shooting down every living thing in this blasted valley!"

"No! You can't do that!" Lisa cried.

"Stay down." I whispered. Then to the SF's, I yelled in anger. "HOW DARE YOU VIOLATE THE SANCTITY OF THIS PLACE WITH YOUR VILE PRESENCE??"

"Haven't you caused enough harm already?" Dracia roared.

"We have orders!" The SF soldier replied. "And nothing with stand in our way! Not even you, Chimera!"

"SILENCE!!" I roared, charging towards the helicopter.

The soldiers opened fire.

"Integration!" I summoned up my Sacred Powers and threw off the lightning burst, canceling out their bullets.

The helicopter was swift enough to dodge the lightning blast, but not the Flamethrower that came from Jade. Another Thunderbolt from Dracia caused its engines to fail, sending it crashing to the ground below with a big explosion.

"Storm! Guys!!" Aigul called. Theresa and himself were riding on the back of a huge, old Charizard.

"They just came and threatened us at gunpoint." Theresa explained. "But Aigul's Pokemon managed to get us free."

"They've got several more of those helicopters in a group at the Eastern River." Aigul added in. "They're clearly intent on … capturing or killing all the Charizard here."

"What motive could they have for that, besides wanting me?" I wondered. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Who are these people?" Lisa asked as the aunt leapt down to her ledge.

"Scoundrels. Corrupted bastards that seek to destroy the lives of others." I said. "They're here … because of me. I'm …"

"No." Theresa put a hand on my shoulder. "I may not know much about you, or how you can become a Pokemon. But I know a good heart when I see one. Evil will be evil, no matter what form. Those willing to fight against it should not be the ones to blame."

"Aunt Theresa …" Lisa muttered.

"Thank you Theresa." I nodded, wiping a tear away.

"She speaks the truth." Aigul nodded, letting Serac and Mirage out. "Firestorm, you must take the lead. Do what you know you must!"

"This valley … this sanctuary … I will protect it! At all costs!"

I let off a thunderous roar that echoed throughout the valley. A call to arms, in which I implored my wild brothers to join me. My worries that they wouldn't listen were soon erased as dozens of responds came.

The Charizard of the valley had rallied behind me. I gave out more messages: who the enemy was, and to gather together.

It filled me with great pride as Jade stepped up beside me and joined in my calls.

The battle for our home had begun, and we would not be defeated.

* * *

**Jade **

This human, he was different. Not like the woman and her niece, but something else. In front of our eyes, he became one of our own, a Charizard. With several cries for assistance, the valley had united behind him. We would protect our home from the humans who wanted to destroy it.

Firestorm … this being. Was he some kind of god?

I wasn't sure, but as I stepped up beside him, some feeling came over me. It was an odd one, a familiar one. Like I'd known him all along.

Jade … he'd called me that. Was it my name? How had he known it then?

The group of humans and the other Pokemon had a quick discussion. They needed someone to guard the young girl, Lisa and the wounded Charla.

My mate volunteered to stay behind with the humans and the non-flying Pokemon. We 'kissed' before I took off to join the rest of my brethren in formation. It was a massive, group assault against out enemies. Leading it was the elder, the Dragonite and Firestorm.

"Nice to fight alongside you again Jade." Firestorm spoke to me as I flew up beside him.

"We have … fought together before?"

"Yes, but it was pretty different then. After this, you'll see."

In my heart, I felt it was true. But there was no time for hesitation now. The group of flying machines came into view. And the exchange of fire began.

On Firestorm's cue, our formation split into a left and right group to counter attack with our flames.

It was an absolutely chaotic mass of aerial maneuvers. Bullets and flames were flying everywhere. The smell of blood, the screams and cries of the wounded and dying filled the air.

I flew on Firestorm's right side and provided cover fire. We each took out an enemy machine before splitting up as two more came. I led the one following me towards a mountainside and swerved upwards at the last instant. My opponent was not as skilled and the human crashed his machine.

I roared in triumph as I dodged the attack and took down another one bold enough to come charging at me.

We seemed to be diminishing their numbers, at no small losses to ourselves, but our opponents begun to employ more vicious techniques. Using electric bursts, steel nets and Pokeballs to capture us.

Firestorm too, seemed to grow more furious with each kill. He was like a flash of light, zooming around, ripping nets and smashing open Pokeballs, thus freeing our captured allies. Not even the electric blasts stopped his special techniques.

I watched in awe as he used his 'Spin Slash', curling up and spinning like a ball. He bounced amongst a group of four machines, taking all down with relative ease.

However, he fell out of the sky after that. I swooped down and barely caught him in time.

"Thanks." He gasped as we landed on the ledge.

"Hey, you all right?" The Dragonite asked, hovering beside us.

"Yes, we're fine." I nodded.

Our brethren seemed to have gained the upper hand. In all the chaos, I realized that Firestorm and I were on a ledge above where we'd left our allied humans. My mate had already dragged Charla into our cave for safety. The humans were still outside watching the battle play out in anticipation.

Then, one of the machines appeared next to them. A pair of armored humans with guns leapt out.

"Move!" The silver haired man yelled.

The Vaporeon and Ponyta followed him as he ran for cover. Lisa however, suddenly tripped. The young girl screamed in horror as one of the soldiers fired his weapon.

That was when Theresa jumped in front of her niece ... and took the bullets in the chest.

* * *

**Aigul**

Lisa's cry of grief was horrible to hear. Her aunt was dead, and watching Lisa crying and shaking her pierced my heart.

The SF soldier didn't stop, however. He was raising his weapon again.

And that filled me with rage. How could humans act this way to one another?

With a cry of fury, I sent a Psychic blast towards the soldier, throwing him roughly against a huge bolder. That got the attention of everyone nearby.

"This ... this HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH!" I roared.

My body begun to glow with a bluish light, causing the remaining soldier to back away. I was aware too that my eyes would be glowing pure white. It was something I learnt that would make almost anyone hesitate.

Serac ran to my side, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry Serac. I have to. Now..."

Using my powers would almost certainly drain all of it. But I couldn't watch the destruction go on any longer.

Astonished cries and gasps came as I returned to my actual form. The form of a huge white aquatic bird; back lined with blue ridges; a blue 'mask' over my eyes. What the legends called the 'Guardian of the Sea'.

I am Lugia.

With a roar, I fired my Aeroblast, blowing not only the soldiers, but also the helicopter nearby into obliteration.

"Oh god." I heard Mirage gasp. "You're him ... Lugia!"

(Yes, it's true. ) I replied telepathically. (Urgh! )

I roared in pain as several bullets tore through my left wing. I hit the ground, turning towards the source of the attack, only to see a Thunderbolt hit the helicopter blowing it up.

"Leave Lugia alone!" A fierce, female voice shouted.

(Serac ... )

With my powers rapidly weakening, she would've returned to normal. My suspicions were confirmed as she stepped up beside me. Not as the Vaporeon, but the human I'd first met.

She was a blond haired woman of 26 with a fiery glow in her blue eyes. Her shoulder length hair came over the silver cloak, the same one I'd adopted for my human guise. The rest of her clothes, long sleeves and jeans were completely white too.

"Lugia, are you all right?"

I nodded, turning my head to see Firestorm's, Jade's and Dracia's startled reactions. I would certainly miss being with them.

(I have to stop ... the SF's ... with everything I've got. )

"But you use up all your powers, then..."

(Serac, I thank you for coming with me. Now, you must go along your own path. )

"Lugia!"

(I'm sorry. I will ... miss you Serac. )

With that, I took to the sky. It was difficult ignoring her screaming my name, but I had to channel what powers I had left.

The sky turned dark and filled with storm clouds. Lightning began flashing rapidly. I sent out a telepathic message to all the Charizard and my friends to take cover. The combined force of nature's fury would be devastating.

The winds hollowed, waters rose and lightning struck. Every one of the remaining helicopters was struck down. All, except one however, that seemed stronger. No, not stronger ... it was psychically shielded. In the midst of casting my 'spell', I couldn't move or shout any warnings.

Otherwise, Firestorm, Jade and Dracia wouldn't have been there when the grenade went off in the middle of them. My storm now turned against them as they fell.

Stunned, Firestorm reverted to human form. Dracia managed to recover and dove down after Firestorm. Desperately diverting my energy, I used my telekinetic powers to hold him in the air so Dracia could reach him in time.

Jade hit a ledge that wasn't too far down, knocking him out. The remaining Sliph helicopter then swooped down and threw a net around Jade's unconscious form.

Firestorm's scream pierced even the booming of the thunder, but I could no longer control the storm. Nor did I have the energy to. As the last of my strength left me, I fell. At least I would land in the waters below.

I had come with the intention of helping them ... but I had failed. And I feared I had only made things worse.

* * *

**Hazuki**

"Hazuki, there's someone following us." Nightslice whispered to me.

"What?"

"Shhhh!"

He led us off the street and into a large, multi story shopping mall. Nightslice put an arm around my shoulder to make it look like we were casually walking, but continued to talk.

"That big fellow in the brown trench coat and the thin guy in the blue business outfit." He whispered.

I gave several peeks backwards and managed to get both in sight.

"We'll split up. You go by this level and I'll head upstairs. Meet at the rear exit, but be careful."

"Will do." I replied.

He got onto an escalator going up and the business suit guy followed him. The trench coat fellow continued to follow me on ground level. I lost track of Nightslice as I weaved my way through the maze of shops. I kept ahead of the man until I accidentally walked into a dead end. I was about to turn back when the trench coat man came around the corner.

Heart pounding, I knelt down and pretended be tying my shoelaces. The man approached me.

"Excuse me." He said.

"Yes?" I turned my head up.

That was a bad move as he swiftly pulled something out from under his coat. However, the door of the shop next to me swung open smacking the guy in the face. I saw the glint of a cylindrical metal object as it went flying.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The female shopkeeper gasped. "Are you all..."

I didn't wait for her to finish and dashed past both her and my fallen pursuer. In my mad dash, I was dodging and shoving people out of my way. Christmas presents and such items went flying as the people fell, yelling at me in the process. I didn't need to hear the thumping of his boots to know the man was chasing me.

I somehow got back to the central area of the mall, where an ice skating ring had been set up in the center. I could only think of dashing straight for it.

"Hey! You have to ... ugh!" I shoved the attendant out of the way, leapt over the bars and went running right onto the ice.

Of course, I went sliding like crazy, screaming. And knocking the panicked skaters down. The trench coat man came running as well, but he stumbled and landed on his chest, sliding forward, crying out in surprise.

"Kyle!" I released the Lapras.

"Whoa! What the?!"

"Never mind! Just help me!" I yelled, jumping and grasping onto his neck.

"Hey! No Pokemon allowed in here!" An attendant with skates on walked in front of us and yelled. "Uh-oh!"

WHAM!

"Sorry!" Kyle muttered.

"Stop! Come back here!" The trench coat man panted, frantically trying to get to his feet.

"Kyle, slow down!" I yelled.

"That's the problem! I CAN'T!" The Lapras replied. "WWWHHHOOAAAA!!"

"Kyle! Watch out for the wall!"

"OH shitshitshitshitshitshitsh..."

He smashed through the padded barrier of the skating ring and slid across the smooth, polished floor of the mall, causing the shoppers to flee in panic.

"Where you'd learn to drive?! The arcade?!" I yelled as he spun a full 360 degrees.

"I never did! Oh crap." He noticed we were heading straight for a brick wall. "This is gonnaa hurt!"

BAM!

Both of us were stunned long enough for the trench coat man to catch up. He drew a pistol and fired up into the air, causing the screaming crowd to bend down and cover their heads.

"Nobody move and no one gets hurt!" He ordered.

"Augh..." I groaned as he approached us.

Then, I saw Nightslice. He on the fourth level, facing me. Meaning he was also at our enemy's back. He ripped off one end of a long cloth banner tied to the railing and grabbed onto it before leaping off. The banner held his weight as the descended, arousing astonished gasps from those who were bold enough to look up.

Using the momentum of his swing, he let go of the banner and launched himself into a flying kick. My attacker turned around, but didn't have time to fire his gun.

(Time stops as Nightslice's foot is about to make contact with the man's face. Viewpoint turns 180 degrees before time starts again.)

"Hiragh!"

"YYARGHH!" Cried the attacker as he went flying, losing his gun in the process.

"You all right Hazuki?"

"Yeah..." I nodded, recalling Kyle. Then, the business suit man came running down the stairs, also holding a gun. "Watch out!"

Nightslice spun to face the gunman just as he fired.

(Time slows down as the bullet approaches. Nightslice bends backwards and the bullet barely passes over his body. He then snaps back upright as time speeds up again.)

"What the?! How?!"

Grinning, Nightslice tossed a Pokeball. Seeing it, the attacker immediately began fumbling for his Pokemon. However, what Nightslice had thrown was an empty Pokeball, which smacked the man right in the face.

"Ha! I love that trick!" He laughed.

I'd been so busy watching him that I'd forgotten about the other attacker. Until he grabbed me from behind that was. Screaming, I stomped on his toes and pulled myself free in his moment of distraction. It happened that a zipper on my backpack got caught on his trench coat.

Nightslice came to my aid and sliced the tangled part of the coat off, shoving the man away. As expected, I saw the 'R' of the Team Rocket uniform under his coat. It wasn't much of a surprise for us now.

But the other man's reaction was.

"Team Rocket!" He growled. "You won't interfere with us this time!"

"Sliph bastards!" The Rocket agent cursed, retrieving his gun. "The girl is ours! YOU stay out of it!"

The Rocket fired several shots, which caused the 'Sliph' soldier to duck behind a wall for cover and return fire. They'd become so involved in their personal battle that they'd neglected both the other civilians and us.

"Let's go!" Nightslice whispered, grabbing my arm.

Melding into the midst of the fleeing crowd, we ran.

* * *

**Firestorm **

"Lugia!" I cried as I saw the legendary bird plunge into the raging river below. "No …"

That was the second friend I'd lost today.

_I won't lose anyone else! _My mind screamed.

Dracia threw me to the ground as several large rocks went flying.

"Lugia's storm is out of control!" She yelled over the howling of the wind.

"I have to stop it." I muttered. "But how?"

The ground in front of my feet begun to glow. I gasped as a stone tablet burst out from it. Something I hadn't seen in a while: a Sacred Skill imbued into the rock. Instinctively, I reached out to grab it.

I cried out as the energy flowed into my body.

"We must combine the three grand attacks of fire, ice and lightning." I shouted out the phrase that came to my mind.

"Thunder, Fire Blast and Blizzard!" Serac concluded. "I can provide the Thunder!"

"Then Blizzard's my part." Dracia nodded.

"Then … all together!"

It was strange seeing two humans throwing off Pokemon attacks, but together with Dracia's, the techniques combined into a new triple technique.

"TRINITY BURST!"

Contrary to the three attacks that made it up, this new Sacred Skills was a Normal-type move. They melded into a thick rainbow colored beam that flew up into the stormy sky. A bright light flashed as the clouds begun to disperse.

When the clouds finally cleared, the sun shone brightly down again. Unfortunately, only to reveal the aftermath of the battle. Like any war, there were the wounded and the casualties.

Serac and Dracia immediately took command to the situation, helping treat the injured and organize search parties. I, however, stood staring at the ground for a long while.

Then, I took my frustration out on the only thing I could: the mountainside.

* * *

**Dracia**

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" Firestorm pounded the stone wall with his fists. "Why?! WHY?! WWHHHYY?? DAMN YOU ALL!!"

I had been helping to organize the searches, but I couldn't stand his screaming any longer. I slapped him.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

"To bring you to your senses you fool! All the swearing in the world won't help Jade now!" I roared. Then, I lowered my voice, panting. "I'm ... I'm sorry."

The aftermath of the battle was truly a bittersweet one. We had won and discriminated all the SF helicopters except one. We'd suffered losses too. Many Charizard had been injured or killed. Aigul ... or Lugia was nowhere to be found. Jade had been kidnapped by the SFs, and Lisa's tragedy was just ... I couldn't find a word of it.

Lisa was still there, crying over Theresa's lifeless body that we'd wrapped in a white cloth. I was about to approach when Firestorm stopped me, indicating that he would do it instead.

"Lisa ... " He said softly. "Even saying that I'm sorry won't change anything. I don't expect you to forgive me. Perhaps if we'd told you everything from the start and hadn't been so stupid to come here, then … "

"No." Lisa said firmly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Theresa believed in you. And so do I. You're not to blame for anything. Truthfully, we should be the ones to be thanking you. If not, we would all be dead now."

"Lisa ... "

"You see, there is something we didn't tell you either. Some people claiming to be from a private Research Company had previously wanted to set up a research center in this valley. Of course, since this is a sacred ground my aunt refused, greatly angering them. Those were those same soldiers that attacked today. I recognized the symbol. But I never thought, they would resort to something like..."

She hugged Storm and burst into tears again.

"Didn't you report it to the officials?"

"Aunt didn't see a need for it."

"I see." I nodded, stepping towards the pair. "Now, there's an even greater reason to fight them."

"No matter what they were here partially because of us too." Firestorm whispered. "It's our fault too."

"It's not." The now human Serac came towards us. "Didn't you hear what Theresa told you at the start?"

"Yeah. We've tried and maybe we've made some mistakes. But we have to keep moving on." Mirage added in. "Now, it's for Jade's sake too."

"Thank you all." Firestorm managed a smile. "Now, we have some details to fill up. Serac?"

"Yes, you want to know about Lugia and myself." Serac explained. "I really am human, as you see me now. I lived in the Orange Archipelago until that day when I was out at sea and a huge thunderstorm brewed up. I was tossed off my boat and I was swallowed up by the waves."

"And then?" I asked.

"I awoke underwater, facing him, Lugia. I was really scared and confused at first but he slowly explained to me about how he'd sensed a great disturbance in the balance of nature. He desired to check up on it, but he couldn't leave his realm in his true form and needed to borrow mine. It was the only way he could use his powers in such a manner without upsetting the spiritual forces."

"And so, you became a Vaporeon, a Pokemon and him a human by 'taking each other's places'?" I concluded.

"If you put it that way, yes. We spent a while helping each other adapt to our new forms, and he took on many of my human traits. Besides, none of you ever noticed how 'Aigul' is 'Lugia' spelled backwards."

"Man ... I didn't see that." Firestorm put a hand to his head.

"Jeez, and it was rather simple too." Mirage sighed.

"Well, I was never good at coming up with names. Anyway, it was tough at first, but we soon became really close. We journeyed to where he sensed the disturbance and that was how we met up with you."

"I see." Firestorm nodded.

"I still feel as if, there's some link between us." Serac said, closing her eyes. "Even now, I get the feeling he's all right, back in there amongst the deep blue sea, recovering."

"Remember, we couldn't find him anywhere when we searched." I said. "Perhaps he had enough strength left to teleport back?"

"I feel so too. However, Lugia won't be able to help you now." Serac said sadly. "Which is why I wish to carry on what he intended. I'm sure I drowned back in that storm, but Lugia brought me back. And somehow, I have the ability to throw Thunder attacks around. Besides, I can't stand around and do nothing with those SFs around."

"I want to come along too." Lisa said, standing up.

"No!" Everyone protested at once.

"You're needed here." Firestorm told her. "Much more than ever now. You have a duty here to carry on what Theresa has done."

"I understand." Lisa nodded. "I also realize that you have noble intentions no matter what. You're so much like the great dragon in the stories that created this valley."

"Wait a minute, what story?" I asked.

"Oh, there was an old legend that during a great battle in ancient times, a dragon with a heart of gold was struck a mortal blow by her enemies. This valley was supposed to have been where she landed and died. But they say her spirit lives on, and protects the valley even today. But it's just a story."

"They say there's a bit of truth behind every legend." Storm spoke. "That Sacred skill was hidden here."

"It must've been one of the legendary dragons of light who died in the war." Mirage said. "Could it have been the Normal elemental dragon Grix told us about?"

"It's quite possible." I replied.

"Then, we've been truly blessed to have met the legend's descendant." Lisa smiled.

Charla, with her left wing and shoulder in bandages, roared in agreement.

"Only now, we have no idea where to go." I commented.

"Actually, we do." Serac said, holding up the small tracking device. "Remember this? With some equipment, I could rewire it to work in reverse. So we can track them instead."

"Sounds like a plan." Storm nodded. "Lisa, I also have to ask you to keep our story to yourself, out of the public's view. There's no telling what might happen if the world found out."

"You have my word on it." Lisa said firmly. "Then, you'll be heading off?"

"Yes. The sooner the better." Storm replied, shaking her hand. "I'll come back some day to see how you're doing."

"I assure you, this'll be a better place than ever when you do. Right guys?"

The other Charizard in the valley responded by firing off their Flamethrowers. And so, our parties said our farewells and departed.

* * *

**Kyle **

"Sliph are also our enemies?" Hazuki was asking.

"Yeah, seems like it." Nightslice nodded. "Although I'm not too sure of the details. But we're got even more problems now."

"If you ask me, it's making my head spin." I sighed. "Maybe I should've stuck to thinking like a Lapras."

Both them and the Pokemon were riding my back down a river. Riptide was swimming beside me in the water. Having gotten out of the town, we'd spent a few days on traveling down river, heading towards some old ruins Nightslice wanted to explore. It wasn't officially marked on the maps, but Nightslice had done some research, both around town and on the Internet.

He seemed confident about where we were going and naturally, we followed our 'fearless leader'. This river was supposed to lead to a series of underground caverns beneath a remote mountain, known as Senkrad.

"It's hard to ignore it when you're a human at heart." Hazuki said, brushing my neck.

"Yeah..." I muttered. "But don't bother. I'm fine as I am now. It was actually kind of fun knocking all those people down."

"I can imagine." Hazuki giggled. "Nightslice, you were really cool with all those moves too."

"Hahaha, I walked past a video shop showing scenes from the 'Matrix'." He replied. "You can say I was inspired."

"Guys, looks like a cave head!" Luminair barked.

Indeed, the river led right into it. And that was where I had to go.

"I hate caves." I whispered to myself.

* * *

_Well, if you were turned into a Lapras and stuck in a dark cave for 15 years, you'd understand me. Still, if you gotta do something, you gotta do it. Let's go... _


	13. Mind and Body

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Mind and Body **

By nightdragon0

**Swordia**

"Boy, what a mess." Scantrix muttered.

"Yeah." I agreed.

All sorts of trash and remains had been left in the picnic spot. Luckily, it was there and not in the forest. We'd left the town and had been 'hanging around' the forest area for a while. I hadn't had this much time to relax for quite a while.

"Might as well see if they left anything good." He said.

"Yeah, I ... ugh!" As I turned my head, a piece of paper blew into my face.

I carefully reached up with a claw and pushed it off, pressing it down onto a wooden table.

"Hmmm..." I muttered. "The Pokemon League."

"You... have been in it before?" Scantrix carefully asked. Probably from the way I was staring at the words.

"No, but a friend of mine named Ash was in the one that finished a while back. I would've been there too if I hadn't spent my time searching around for Nightslice." I took another look at the poster. "But this one is a specially organized competition, in honor of its President's 60th Birthday."

"I was wondering why there was another one so quickly." Scantrix muttered.

"Yeah. If Jade, Nightslice or Firestorm read this words 'Indigo Pokemon League', they'd immediately just to the conclusion that it was the big one. Pity they can never read the smaller words at the bottom of the poster..."

I stopped and bit my lip. I'd been babbling about the past again, as hard as I tried to push it out of my head. Scantrix apparently saw the look in my eyes.

"Anyway, did they tell you about the incident a while before that league?"

"No. What incident?" I asked.

"It was before you even became a Scyther, according to the dates you stated. A Team Rocket base was mysteriously blown open form within. They say an artificially created experimental Pokemon escaped then, but as to what it was, there are only rumors."

"What rumors?"

"They say it was a 'Mewtwo' or something like that, but..."

"Mewtwo?!" I snapped, startling him.

"Hey what?!"

"Sorry." I said softly. "It's just that ... I know I fought that Mewtwo thing just before you found me. It utterly trashed me. But if you say this Mewtwo escaped before TR captured me..."

"You hinting ... there could be..."

"Another one?" I finished. "If one was created, why not others? That thing was Powerful, mind you. If we had to fight that, it could mean trouble."

"Hmmm ..."

"But it's strange. I feel as if I've seen the thing before, but I was human then. Was I with Ash?" I shook my head. "No, must've been a dream of some sort."

"Anyway, we should bring it up to Alugard back at base." Scantrix suggested. "Well, there goes our vacation."

"Yeah, but duty calls." I nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

**Nightslice**

"Another creepy, dark cave." I sighed.

Hazuki and I pulled out our flashlights and shone them around to light up the dark cavern. It was featureless for most part and we carried on in silence for a while.

"Strange," Kyle muttered. "not a single living thing around."

It was true. Not even a Zubat or any water Pokemon was to be seen. It was as if they had deliberately avoided this place.

"Do you sense it?" Riptide suddenly asked, pointing to the side.

"Yes." I nodded. "We're getting closer to whatever we're supposed to find. Kyle, would you stop by the shore there?"

The Lapras complied, allowing our party to dismount. We spread out and begun digging at the rocks and dirt around the small patch of land.

"Over here!" Riptide called.

The Golduck sprayed his Water Gun, clearing away some rocks and dirt on a wall. Although he cleared only a small patch, a different layer of rock could be seen beneath it.

"Allow me." Ahsura walked up and used his vines to smash the rocky wall apart. Kyle and Riptide sprayed more water to clear away the debris.

After 5 minutes, everyone gasped at what we saw: a huge stone door embedded into the wall. It was decorated by all sorts of indecipherable characters and carvings.

"This must be the hidden temple Gyzem told us about." I said aloud.

"I guess we're going in?" Hazuki asked. She walked up to the door and took hold of a stone ring used as a handle. She tugged with all her might, but couldn't get it open.

"One thing about doors kid, you don't pull. You push." Luminair growled. The Jolteon backed up and rammed the door, which didn't budge one bit.

Ahsura lashed out with his vines, but to no avail as well. Same thing happened when Kyle and Riptide tried their Water Guns. Finally, I shifted into my Scyther body and stepped up. Roaring, I fired a Hyper Beam into it, shattering it to pieces.

"Gee, either everyone is totally out of shape, or the door only wanted to be opened by me." I muttered.

"Let's just be careful." Hazuki said, recalling Kyle into a Pokeball and jogging into the doorway.

"Hazuki! Wait..." I began. Then I heard a 'click' as she stepped on a hidden switch on the floor. "Watch out!"

In a flash, I charged and tackled her, throwing her out of the way as a set of spikes shot up from the floor. The other three Pokemon came running in just as a new door slid down from the ceiling, sealing off the entrance.

"What the?!" Luminair gaped as the floor shifted again.

The floor then gave way, sending the three of them plummeting into one pit, Hazuki and me into another. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room to use my wings properly. That, added to our extra loud screams, due to the echo, made another entry to our 'unpleasant events' list. It was only a few seconds drop, but I saw the water beneath us moments before we hit it.

"Ggguurrgghh!" I spluttered, plunging into the icy cold waters. I was glad that the backpack still strapped between my wings didn't have any heavy things. I kicked myself to the surface where Hazuki had already gotten Kyle out and climbed onto his back.

"So, let's just be careful, huh?" I snarled, dipping wet.

"Erm... hehehehehe ... gomen nasai, Yorukiru-san." She laughed nervously. "But did you see the others?"

"They fell down another hole. I have faith in the three stooges to handle themselves. As long as they didn't get thrown into a pit full of spikes."

"Yorukiru-san! Do you have to say such nasty things?!"

"Another issue. Will you please stop calling me that? You'll have to do that once I go back to being a Scyther permanently."

"I will eventually, Yorukiru-sama."

"Grrrr ... you're impossible." I breathed.

We'd been thrown into the middle of an underground lake and there was only one cave leading out, which Kyle logically followed. The flashlight didn't illuminate much, but it was enough for us to see.

In particular, it helped my 'nighttime' vision to spot an alcove in the side of the wall. It led to a short path on dry land. Hazuki and I got off and walked up it to find an odd statue placed there.

"Odd..." I muttered.

"What's it doing here?" Hazuki wondered.

I examined it more closely. It was definitely a dragon, seeming similar to the Chinese ones. Its long, serpent-like body was curled. Its four limbs were tense, wings outstretched, jaws wide open with its eyes locked in a fierce stare towards me.

I spotted a glint on its forehead. A purple jewel was embedded there. I reached out and touched it with the tip of my sword-like claw.

Suddenly, I felt a surge of pain rushing through me. I didn't even have time to blink before my vision faded to black.

"You all right?" I heard Hazuki's voice as my thoughts cleared.

"Yes, I'm fine." It was my voice. Only thing was that I hadn't spoken.

As my vision cleared again I was staring at... myself. Literally.

I could see Hazuki behind 'me' and the path leading back to the lake.

_What's going on? _I thought, still slightly dazed.

"It's just a statue it seems." 'My' voice said.

_Just a statue! _I blurted out. Or tired to at least. However, my mouth refused to move. My entire body refused to move for that matter. _Hey, what the?! _

I couldn't even feel myself breath. My mind raced as I tried every muscle in my body. Nothing, I felt like... wait... stone?!

_Oh on! _The realization hit me. Someone or something had stolen my body and stuck me in the dragon statue!

"We should get going." The imposter with Hazuki said.

"Yeah." She agreed and began walking off.

_Hazuki! _I cried desperately. _Hazuki! That's not me! I'm here! Help! _

Of course she couldn't hear me. My imposter made sure she was out of sight, and then gave me a wink before following the unsuspecting girl.

I roared, struggling in panic. Statues, however, can't move or make any noise. And it so happened I was one now.

* * *

**Hazuki**

"Maybe ... let's try left." Nightslice suggested.

"All right. You're the boss." Kyle nodded.

After leaving the dragon statue behind, we'd come across several junctions along the waterway. And Nightslice had been randomly been pointing us round, but not like any of us had any better idea of this maze.

But I still had a rather odd feeling about the statue. Like something wasn't right about it.

"That statute was... there was something strange about it, Yorukiru-san." I voiced my thoughts.

"I don't think so." The Scyther immediately shook his head. "Forget about it either way. We're got things to do. Finding the way out of here for one thing."

"I thought you were searching for your Forbidden Technique?" I asked.

"I ... I meant finding a way out of this river." He explained.

"Then, Riptide and the others?" Kyle queried.

"Don't ... don't worry, we'll find them too." Nightslice assured, winking. "Trust me, I've go it all worked out."

By chance, we arrived at narrow stairway leading upwards. Nightslice leapt up to take a look first.

"Looks all right." He reported, having walked to the top of the stairs.

"OK." However, the moment I put my foot onto the first rocky step, I heard a 'click'. My brain barely had time to register it before water shot out from the spot beneath my feet, throwing me back into the river.

I struggled as a sudden underwater force pulled me under. I managed to pull myself up to see myself spinning round in a whirlpool that had apparently appeared out of nowhere.

"Kyle! Help!" I yelled, struggling to keep my head above water.

I heard Kyle's cries of panic as he too was caught up in its pull.

_Jeez! I could've done better if I were you! _I thought as I was dragged under again and finally, I lost consciousness.

* * *

**Nightslice**

After silently roaring in fury for several minutes, I managed to calm myself down as much as I could. My thoughts raced as I thought of Hazuki being with that imposter. There was no telling what it would do with her. Or more importantly, with **MY** body for that matter.

As I searched my mind for a plan, I was astonished to discover a new set of memories. As if I was a computer and a new software program had been installed on my memory.

What came into my vision was something like a map. It's hard to explain, but it was as if I suddenly knew every nook and cranny of this old place. I felt the presence of intruders too. Or in other words, my companions.

I focused on the nearer group of Luminair, Riptide and Ahsura and 'saw' them in my mind, walking along a straight corridor.

I'm not good at using my mind for something like this and it wasn't an easy, like trying to do a wristlock to somebody without using your hands. Well, I'm exaggerating, but you get the point.

_Luminair! Riptide! Ahsura! _I tried calling.

Riptide hesitated for a moment.

"Did you hear that?" The Golduck asked.

"Hear what?" Luminair remarked. "Anything around here, and my ears would've picked it up."

"Yeah, never mind." Riptide nodded. "Let's concentrate on finding the others."

The group continued walking on as if they hadn't heard me.

_Riptide! RIPTIDE! Dammit! _I cursed, frustrated. _What the hell am I supposed to do if even a psychic duck can't hear me?! _

That was when I saw the floor in front of them shift. With a loud bang, a section of the ceiling slammed down in front of them, forming a barrier. Almost immediately, the same thing happened with a section from behind them, trapping them.

"What the?!" Ahsura yelled.

The two walls began closing in on the trapped party.

"It's another trap!" Luminair realized.

"Well, don't just stand there if you don't want to become a pancake!" Riptide said, firing his Water Gun at one of the walls.

Luminair did the same with his Thunderbolt. Ahsura charged a Solar Beam and shot it into the wall, unfortunately with little effect.

_Guys! _I cried desperately, realizing I couldn't help them in any way.

"Get close to me you two!" Riptide ordered. "I'll Teleport us past the trap."

"You sure you can manage that pal?" Luminair asked.

However, there was no more time for protests. The trio huddled together and Riptide closed his eyes. Their bodies glowed with a bluish light and vanished, materializing just after the trap. The Pokemon collapsed in a pile as the walls slammed together, stirring up dust everywhere.

"Geez! First that pit of spikes! Then moving platforms and falling boulders! Now this!" Ahsura gaped, panting.

"If that wasn't bad enough, we got them one after the other." Luminair sighed. "We'll be lucky to get out of this alive."

"I don't know guys, but I sense odd feelings in here." Riptide said. "Despair, frustration, anger. And now, confusion."

"But from whom?" Luminair asked.

"No one in particular. It's like this place is... alive somehow."

"The rest of us aren't psychic here." Ahsura reminded him. "But we should get moving before anything else happens."

The others simultaneously nodded in agreement. They hastily departed, leaving me in confusion and reflecting about Riptide's words.

_Place is alive? Of course! _I realized. I suppose there was a sense of satisfaction in it.

That was when the corridor my friends were in mysteriously brightened, allowing them to see a large boulder positioned in the ceiling, ready to drop down on any intruders. Although they were startled, Riptide took a pebble and threw it under the boulder. As expected, it came crashing down, right on the spot they would've walked under.

"Let's squeeze around it, shall we?" Ahsura suggested nervously.

I was sure of it now. Whatever entity had stolen my body also controlled all the traps from here, this statue. It was currently tied to my thoughts and emotions: positive ones revealing the traps and negative ones triggering them. So, basically using my mind to 'direct' my friends around.

_How hard can that be? _

I was soon to find out.

* * *

**Hazuki**

I awoke to the sound of running water. I was floating in it apparently.

It came as an utter shock when I realized my head was under water, and I was breathing. I brought my head up to see my body... the body of a Lapras.

Panicked, I spun my head around and moved my flippers about. I was definitely wide-awake. I glanced around to find myself in and underground lake. The thoughts of Kyle's imprisonment in a similar area suddenly flooded my mind.

"NO!" I screamed. "NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!"

"Hazuki, that had better be you." A voice spoke. My voice.

"Kyle!"

A figure on shore waved to me. It was myself, or at least Kyle in my body. I swam over and pulled myself up onto shore.

"Kyle! What are you doing in my body?"

"That's the same thing I wanted to ask you." He replied in my voice. "Jeez, it's weird enough being human again, but being female is even weirder."

"Excuse me?" I muttered. (Sweatdropping.)

"But it's cool through." He laughed. "I can look at myself naked!"

"YOU PERVERT!" I yelled angrily, slapping him with a flipper. "This is no time for jokes! I'm a freaking Lapras for crying out loud!"

I regretted the last part the moment the words were out of my mouth. Kyle looked very hurt. And I also realized my face looks really bad when I have my feelings hurt.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I ... I got carried away."

"Yeah, so did I." He gulped. "I'm sorry too. No hard feelings?"

"No prob."

There was an odd moment as both of us stared at each other, unsure of how to continue. It was really weird; we were sort of staring at the ground and ceiling, trying to avoid eye contact. Something came over me and I nuzzled him with the side of my head. His response was to put his arm around my face.

"Let's just go see if we can find anything to get out of this mess." I pulled away, finally finding my words.

* * *

**Kyle**

It was very odd, being in a human body again. Even more so that it was female. But unfortunately, this wasn't the time for such thoughts. We had far more important issues to deal with, like how our bodies had gotten switched for instance.

However, as I sat on Hazuki's back while she swam through the underground lake, I was beginning to get her bad feeling that something was amiss.

"Something definitely seems strange." Hazuki commented, almost as if she'd read my mind.

"Yeah, like someone or something's messing around with us."

"Not just that. About Yorukiru-san too."

"Hmmm?"

"Maybe you haven't been around him for long, but I've known him for a while." She explained. "For one, he seemed like he wanted to get away from that statue as quickly as possible."

"Perhaps he just didn't see anything strange with it?"

"Maybe. But did you notice how he seemed to know which way to go? And how we got to that stairway?"

"We were just lucky? That could've been the same for the trap too."

"Possibly. But the last thing, you noticed how he talked about getting out first instead of going to look for the others? That's not like him."

"What are you implying?"

"It's like he's not himself. I've just got this strange feeling." She said, closing her eyes. "If we manage to find him, I want you to pretend you're me."

"WHAT?!"

"Just do it you idiot!" She growled. "And deliberately get some facts wrong."

"I see." I nodded. "You want to test him, just in case."

As we moved along, the lake narrowed down into a much thinner stream. I sighed as I noticed it branched out into several pathways.

Suddenly, the place shook. Startled, Hazuki and I cried out. Several large rocks fell from the ceiling of the cavern, blocking off all the paths except for one.

"Jeez, this sucks." I muttered.

"Let's just follow the open path." Hazuki's voice was contradictory to mine. "Trust me. I feel it, somehow."

I literally couldn't have stopped her as much as I wanted to. However, I soon saw why she was feeling that way. Parts of the cavern would abruptly collapse or explode, blocking off other pathways and leaving us with only one. 'Just like an amusement park ride', in Hazuki's words.

It was strangely like someone was guiding us somewhere. Eventually, the 'traps' stopped as we went along a straight waterway and ended up at a shoreline.

"Hey guys!" It was Nightslice. The Scyther was standing on shore, waving to us.

"Remember." Hazuki whispered to me.

I stroked the back of her head in acknowledgement.

"Boy, are we glad to see you!" I called, leaping off as we approached the shoreline.

"Yeah, me too." He nodded. "I think I may have found what I've been looking for too."

"Heh, serious as always." I faked a laugh. "Even during our first kiss at the field."

I mentally slapped myself. Hazuki was going to kill me for choosing such a topic.

"Oh really? You think so too?" Nightslice replied.

That was when Hazuki leapt forward and slammed her Lapras body down on top of him.

"That kiss was in the hotel, not a field!" She snarled. "You're not Yorukiru-san!"

"Damn!" The imposter cursed. "I knew you'd find out eventually!"

He sank his fangs into her side, causing Hazuki to scream in pain. The imposter took that distraction and heaved up slightly, enough to pull himself free. I charged towards him, but he kicked me away and took off running along the shoreline.

"We have to stop him!" Hazuki grimaced.

"Hold it!" Riptide's voice ordered.

The imposter stopped dead in his tracks as Luminair, Riptide and Ahsura appeared from the cavern exit he was attempting to flee through.

"We heard everything." Luminair growled. "You can't run!"

"What have you done with the real Nightslice?!" Ahsura demanded.

"You'll have to catch me to find out!" The imposter roared, firing a Hyper Beam.

The trio scattered, Riptide leaping into the water. Ahsura fired off several Razor Leafs, which his opponent easily chopped up. That however, distracted him long enough for Luminair to give him a good Thunderbolt.

"Ggrraarrgghh!" The Scyther growled, stumbling. "Stone Prison!"

Almost like the grasping motion of a hand, several rocky 'fingers' shot up from the ground beneath them and closed, trapping the Jolteon and Ivysaur inside the 'palm'. Even running towards the battle, I could still hear their muffled cries and they struggled to break free.

Hazuki was faster to respond, shooting a long range Ice Beam. The imposter leapt away and took to the sky. However, a rock fell from the high up ceiling and smacked him on the head, stunning him long enough for Riptide and Hazuki to combine their water attacks and knock him out of the sky.

Screeching, he hit the ground. He suddenly snapped up, eyes wide, screaming in pain I saw his body coursing with electricity and realized the spot he was on had somehow become electrified. Finally, he collapsed and Hazuki froze him up to his neck with an Ice Beam.

The imposter roared and struggled in vain as our party gathered around him.

"Gaarrgghhh! Dammit!" He growled in defeat.

"You ready to talk now?" I asked, folding my arms.

"I am Kel' Tharus, the Ghost Dragon." He sighed reluctantly. "You needn't worry about your friend. I stuck his mind back in the statue just now. But I never expected him to learn to control the traps so quickly."

"You do know that he's Nightslice, the descendant of Kaiser?" Hazuki asked.

"Haha, so the legends plays itself out after all." He managed a soft laugh. "If the other dragons are still around, I'm not with any of them. I'm an exile to put it in simple terms."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I was one of the more malicious of the dragons. I never got out of the bloodlust of war, I couldn't stop killing and fighting. It got to a point where I went berserk on everything in sight, and thus forcing the other dragons to take action. My body was turned to stone and my spirit sealed with the purple gem you saw."

"And now?" Hazuki asked.

"You've won, fair and square." The dragon said sadly. "You'd do best to take me back to Nightslice."

* * *

**Nightslice**

Even viewing the scene from within my mind, I could see that the others took great precaution in restraining the Ghost dragon with Ahsura's vines and bringing him back to the statue via the underground river. It made me cringe inwardly too, knowing that my body would be aching once I got it back.

My friends released Kel' Tharus and let him walk up to the statue I was trapped in.

"Well met warrior." He said. "I am Kel' Tharus, as I believe you already know."

Indeed, even from my position, I had 'heard' the whole story. I didn't know how to answer through, but somehow I felt that he knew.

"I'll tell you now, I did intend to steal your body and escape my prison." He said, looking down. It was strange hearing that in my own voice. "But it seems I am condemned to my fate."

He ran a claw along my statue's side and turned towards the others.

"It's been so long, and I've had much of it to contemplate." There was a pained look on his face as he went on. "Imprisoned here, neither alive nor dead, but yet fully conscious. So much I regret, but not being able to make amends for anything… until now."

He turned to face me.

"Nightslice, once I switch us back, you will possess my ability, the Desolation Claw. A move that melds Ice Beam, Solar Beam and a Confuse Ray used by you. It's a triple technique that inflicts multiple statue aliments on your enemies. Use it wisely."

I noticed Hazuki and Kyle standing next to each other, exchanging smiles as Kel' Tharus approached them.

"Don't worry, I'll fix the two of you as well."

"You really like mind games, don't you?" Kyle asked.

"If you put it that way." The dragon laughed. "That's one thing I take credit for."

Kyle whispered something to Hazuki and both exchanged giggles.

"All right then, ready?" Kel' Tharus touched the purple gem on my statue's forehead and muttered some incantation under his breath.

And all of a sudden, I found myself stumbling and leaning against the wall for support.

"Wow, am I?" I carefully looked over my Scyther body and slashed my claws about in the air. "YES! I'M BACK!"

"Yeah, that was freaky." Hazuki muttered, running her hands over each other. "And I was a Lapras for just for 20 minutes. No wonder Kyle has personality problems."

"Well, I see why they say women are from Mars." Kyle shot back.

"It's Venus. Men are the ones from Mars."

"Then at least you weren't in 'THAT' time of the month."

"YOU!" Hazuki promptly slapped him.

"Ow, at least you hands aren't as painful as using my flippers."

"Yeah, you made me do that, and my cheek still hurts from it." Hazuki replied, rubbing the side of her face.

"Oh really? Allow me to make up for it, milady." And he began licking her face.

"Hey! Yuck! Whoa! Stop it already!"

"Sorry, you want a Lapras, you get the tongue too!"

Leaving the two to joke about their shared experience, I turned back towards the dragon statue, now containing the spirit of Kel' Tharus.

"What about you?" I asked aloud.

(I have one last thing to ask of you. ) I heard the dragon's telepathic voice in my mind. (Please, shatter this jewel here and kill me. )

"What?!" I gasped, shocked.

Everyone else looked up at us.

(Possessing part of Kaiser's spirit makes it possible for you to kill me with a Forbidden Technique. Please, I don't wish to suffer any longer. )

"How can I?" I glanced at my friends, silently wishing for support.

(I deserved death a long time ago, just that the dragons weren't strong enough after I fought them. )

"But you've changed now." I insisted. "I can't kill you in cold blood. There would be no honor in that."

"Isn't there a way to release him?" Hazuki suggested.

"Is there?" I queried.

(You would do that, for me? However, it's close to impossible. Let me explain: the purple gem that holds my spirit is a focal point. Try to think of it as a tent, with many ropes and pegs holding it in place. Only the ropes are psychic 'binding sites' throughout this series of caverns. Hundreds of these are what hold me here. Not only would it take time, but a powerful psychic as well. )

"I wish to volunteer." Riptide suddenly spoke up.

"Since when were you a powerful psychic?" Ahsura muttered.

Riptide tossed the Ivysaur into the water to prove his point.

"You sure about this?" Luminair asked.

"Seriously Riptide, you want to stay here?" I confirmed, through I already knew the answer.

"I'll miss you guys, but it would be good training." The Golduck explained. "Besides, I was hoping to learn some of the Ghost dragon's psychic and ghost abilities."

(I'll be happy to train you. ) Kel' Tharus replied. (But if you're hoping to learn mind switching, it isn't easy. The subjects have to be willing to do so. )

"Willing?" Hazuki asked, surprised.

(Well, Nightslice was a different case because he touched the gem on my forehead. As for you kid, when you went under, you were thinking 'If I were Kyle, I could've done better'. And the Lapras was still haunted by his memories as a human. So, it was literally a snap. )

"Oh, so you think you can out swim a whirlpool, do you?" Kyle growled, giving her a nasty stare.

"Erm… I was pissed off then." Hazuki laughed nervously.

(I'll talk you through the location of the bonds. Riptide, was it? )

"Yeah." The Golduck nodded.

(You have my deepest gratitude. ) Kel' Tharus said. There was actually a joyful tone in his voice.

There wasn't much to do other than bid Riptide and Kel' Tharus farewell, before departing this 'temple of mind and body'.

* * *

**Swordia**

"OK, this way." Alugard instructed, leading us around to the back of the building.

We'd had a long discussion earlier, but Alugard had agreed to it in the end. We knew that such information would be highly classified and definitely difficult to get to. It had been hard trying to decide on a base we could sneak into, until a Rattata reported that the Rocket leader himself was currently inspecting a base in Turquoise City, a town located somewhere between Mahogany Town and Blackthorn City.

Naturally, we jumped at the chance.

Alugard, Scantrix and myself flew to the top of the building Alugard tore open the ventilation shaft and gestured for us to go ahead.

"You seem to like these a lot." I muttered, taking reference to some of our pervious missions.

"I learnt from the best." Alugard laughed.

Smaller Pokemon would be better at this, but if human secret agents could use these, we, being relatively human sized, certainly could. Our trio was soon met by a pair of Rattata.

"We've finished scouting out the area." One of them reported. "One computer room is on this level and another 5 floors down."

"The Rocket leader happens to be on this level's control room." The second one finished.

"Hmmm… that'll make it even easier for us." Alugard smiled. "Scantrix, you go with one of them to the lower control room and carry on as planned."

"Roger that." The Skarmory nodded, looking more cramped in the air vent that us.

"Be careful in the elevator shaft." I reminded him.

"Always Swordia." He smiled as Rattata 1 led him away. "Good luck. We'll see you later."

Rattata 2 brought Alugard and me to the air vent overlooking the computer room's door.

"But I don't think you can just drop down here." The Rattata said. "It'll make too much of a racket."

"Don't worry, I've got it worked out. You just stay here and keep watch." Alugard ordered.

"Yes sir."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked as Alugard brought me further down the shaft, emerging into a storeroom.

"We'll be using these." The old Scizor said, pulling up a couple of cardboard boxes with his pincers.

"Cardboard boxes?" I staggered.

Alugard shoved one over my head.

"The cardboard box is your friend. Look after it and it will look after you." He instructed. "Follow my lead and try to act like a box."

Crouching down so the boxes completely covered us, we slowly inched our way towards the door, moving only when no one was walking along the corridor. My heart was pumping rapidly as I listened not only for Alugard, but any footsteps as well. Soon, I found myself next to the door, curled up under the cardboard box and waiting in anticipation.

Pressing the box to the wall, I leaned my ear against it and eavesdropped on a conversation between Giovanni and one of his subordinates. It was a report on how 'well' the activities of the base were running, but nothing of any real importance.

Finally, the com-link in the room beeped.

"Mr. Giovanni sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you've got to come see this." A familiar voice said on the other end.

"What is it?" The Rocket boss growled.

"It's real important. Better that you see it for yourself sir."

"Very well then."

There was a metallic hiss as the doors opened and Giovanni and the subordinate walked out. And behind their backs, two 'cardboard' boxes rushed into the empty computer room before the doors closed.

The voice had been Scantrix, from the lower computer room. As the plan had gone, he'd tossed a bag of a Parasect's Spore into it, putting the humans to sleep, and had locked the doors from inside. One of the Rattatas had also bitten through some of the elevator wires, ensuring the nearest lift would be 'out of order'.

"We have to make this quick." Alugard said, tossing off his box.

I hit the switch to electronically lock the door and Alugard ran over to the computer and begun hitting buttons. The Scizor was surprisingly swift considering he was using the edge of his pincers to do so.

"Here it is." He pointed towards the screen as he called up a document. "The file about Mewtwo."

It explained about the project to create and ultimate Pokemon from the fossilized DNA of the legendary Mew. The result was the Pokemon named Mewtwo, which had eventually escaped, destroying a Rocket Base during the process, disappearing after that. Its whereabouts were still unknown. But the date stated was before Ash's Pokemon league.

"Is there another file?" I asked. "Any follow up projects?"

"Hold on." Alugard typed furiously.

"Try looking up on Professor Zarius." I suggested.

"All right. And… bingo. There."

Alugard brought up the file.

* * *

_Zarius_ _was definitely insane, but Giovanni nevertheless agreed to his latest patch of madness. With the recent escape of the Mewtwo, the Professor offered to replicate what years of research and failures took in a matter of months. The very same man claiming to have surpassed the Chimera Project by having discovered the perfect fusion of Pokemon and humans._

_There were rumors that he even killed his own staff for his experiments._

_It came as a great surprise to us when he actually delivered it to us. A new Mewtwo, fully functional and in perfect physical health. Mentally was another story. _

_His method was replicating and injecting Pokemon DNA into already living human subjects, then boosting in and forcing the Pokemon DNA to take over, erasing the human characteristics. Essentially transforming the subject into a fully functional, living Pokemon. _

_His research was destroyed in his suicide bombing of his own lab, having lost the last reaches of his sanity. However, it is of no concern to us now that… _

* * *

I stopped reading, slamming my claws down on the table.

"This is insane!" I shouted out loud. "This new Mewtwo, is it here?!"

"It is." Alugard muttered, bringing up another screen. "Giovanni's private arena. The lowest level, B10, a floor not accessible normally by elevator…"

I was already at the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To save this Mewtwo." I said without looking back.

I stuck my blades into the gap and pried open the doors of the nearest elevator and flew down. Luckily, the others had jammed the elevator on a higher level, giving me a clear path down. In my impatience, I blew open the doors with a Hyper Beam and landed on the lowest level.

It would have most likely triggered an alarm, but Alugard had apparently managed to shut the system off. There was only a single corridor leading to a large door at the end. I forced my way in, to see the creature of my nightmares before me.

Mewtwo, clad in a set of metal armor, seemingly bound to the machine. Not the original Mewtwo, but the one made in the same way as Scantrix. A freak of both science and nature. Like me.

It didn't stir a bit as I walked up to it.

I raised a claw and sliced the helmet off. The Mewtwo's eyes were closed, but it soon blinked and stared right up at me.

(You… you're the one from before. ) She said. Even the telepathic voice carried a female tone.

"Yes." I nodded. "I am also much like you. I was human once, long before."

(What?! Then I'm… not alone? )

"All this has probably been suppressing your powers." I said as I began slicing the armor away. "I'll explain everything, but first we have to get out of here. And I'm not taking no for an answer."

* * *

_So, the cycle repeats itself… _


	14. Power Collision

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Power Collision**

By nightdragon0

**Firestorm **

"Think you can get it working this time?" I asked Serac.

"Should be." The 26-year old woman muttered, fiddling with a screwdriver in her hand.

After a brief trip back to Violet City, we'd caught a bus out of town, knowing that our enemies were likely to search for us there. We'd stopped at a small town somewhere along the highway between Violet and Goldenrod to allow Serac to pick up some equipment.

The New Year had come too, but definitely not a joyful one for any of us.

Trying to tune the tracking bug so that we could use it to find Jade was more difficult than she'd expected. Probably because she had to first disable it so Sliph's SFs couldn't track us.

It really ticked me off that I'd been so close to getting Jade back and now he was as far away as ever. I pounded my fists against the wall as I thought about it.

"It's delicate work." Serac muttered, taking it as a sign of my impatience. "And I still haven't gotten used to having my fingers back again."

"Yeah. Not like Aigul… erm Lugia would've been able to do any better." Dracia whispered.

We were in a more secluded part of the city park, beside a couple of large trees. Although it was late at night, and there weren't many people around, I was beginning to feel that having a Dragonite out in the open was a bad idea.

"Excuse me, you need help with that?" A teenage girl of about 16 approached us.

She was slim built with brown eyes and black hair. She was dressed in a pink pair of denim shorts and a dark blue short sleeveless shirt that left her stomach uncovered. A green sweater was also tied around her waist. She immediately reminded me of Kris, except my trainer wasn't a girl to wear revealing clothing.

"I… err…" Serac staggered, unsure of how to continue.

I too was wondering what a young girl would be doing out so late at night.

"You don't have to be afraid to ask." The girl knelt down and took a look at the tracking bug in Serac's hand. "Oh, I see. You've got to wrist the green wire that way, and turn that piece around to reverse the polarity."

Without waiting for Serac to respond, the girl did just that and the device gave an affirmative beep.

"Wow, thanks." Serac gasped.

"But isn't this…" The girl began. "Hmmm… looks like the ones I've handled before."

I was hesitant of whether or not to knock her out.

"You guys on bad terms with Team Rocket?" The girl whispered. "Cause there's a couple of them somewhere around the corner."

"Damn, they won't give us a break." I muttered.

"Hey, I'm one of their runaways." The girl whispered. "It would be mutually beneficial if we could help each other."

"How I know we can trust you?' I growled.

"I should be thinking the same about you." She replied. "Besides, if I were with them, I would already have turned you in. And I need to get away from them as much as you, so please…"

"It's all right with me." Serac spoke up. "But you're getting into more trouble than you can imagine kid."

"Enhustan. Nala Enhustan. And don't worry about me. Since a couple of Pokemon helped get me out of Team Rocket's clutches, I think I'll handle whatever's coming this way."

"You haven't seen anything yet." Dracia said.

"I get the picture." Nala nodded. She didn't seem really surprised to hear a talking Pokemon. "Aw slag, here they come."

Nala indicated, with her eyes, the pair of men in the brown trench coats as they came down the path. They couldn't see us yet, but they would soon.

"I'm Storm, and she's Serac." I quickly introduced. I bit my lip realizing I'd let my real name slip out since I was supposed to 'be Jade', but there wasn't time for that now. "I'll distract them. Dracia, you get the ladies out through the back."

"But…" Dracia protested.

"Go!" I ordered.

I jogged into the open, towards the two disguised Rockets and made sure they saw me. When they did, I sprinted in another direction, away from the rest of my group. Both started yelling and gave chase.

I wasn't worried about them catching up, but more of them calling for reinforcements.

Right on cue, a uniformed Rocket stepped out from behind a fountain in front of me. I rolled forward as he swung a baton at me, blocked a second blow and rammed him with my shoulder, sending him into the fountain with a splash.

Bullets whizzed past me as the two Rockets behind decided to fire. I dashed into the bushes and scaled a fence, which led over to the road. I was suddenly blinded by the headlights of a speeding van.

Desperately, I leapt to the side, barely managing to avoid the vehicle. There was a deafening screech of tires followed by a loud bang as the speeding van hit a tree.

"Storm!" Serac called. She was behind the wheel of a white pickup truck, Nala in the passenger seat and Dracia in the back.

I realized she'd saved my life by ramming the van out off course. I didn't waste any time in leaping on.

"Hang on!" Serac yelled as she floored the accelerator.

"Where'd you get the truck?!" I asked, as the wind roared past my face.

"Erm… hehehe…" Nala grinned nervously.

"Oh boy." I muttered. "You stole it, didn't you?"

"We're not stealing. Just borrowing it for a while." Nala insisted.

"Heads up, we're not out of the water yet!" Dracia alerted us to four Rocket bikers which had decided to trail us.

"Yargh!" I shouted as Serac swerved to avoid a Hyper Beam. I glanced up to see a pair of Noctowl in the sky preparing for another round. "Dracia!"

"I'm on it!" The Dragonite roared, taking the battle to the two owls.

That left the four bikers to deal with. Serac led them along the winding highway and made a sharp turn. Unable to replicate her stunt, one crashed, but his comrades hardly seemed to give a damn.

One biker came up just behind the truck. I was preparing to throw a fire attack at him when he lashed at me with a whip, catching me on the arm and causing me to fall, screaming.

He took the opportunity and abandoned his bike, leaping up onto the truck. I sprang to my feet only to receive a punch in the face. I returned the favor, getting us into a vicious fistfight aboard the speeding truck.

Meanwhile, his two comrades were catching up, intend on boarding our truck as well.

In the midst of struggling, Serac suddenly swerved, causing me to fall backwards against the back rail of the truck. My opponent was instantly upon me, grabbing my neck with both hands. One of the remaining bikers had reached the truck and was grasping onto the rail.

Taking a deep breath, I heaved, bringing my legs up and throwing my opponent over the side.

The Rocket collided with his comrade, causing him to lose his bike. The rider-less machine spun out of control and broke apart after hitting a road divider. One of them managed to gasp the rail in time, with his colleague desperately holding on to his waist.

The speeding truck was making it difficult to them to climb back up from their position. I, however, was able to get back to my feet and give them an evil grin.

"You are the weakest link. Goodbye."

And stamped on the Rocket's fingers, causing him to scream and let go, sending both flying onto the road. It so happened they collided with the third rider, taking him down at well.

"Oh Yeah!" I roared in triumph.

"Storm!" Serac yelled. "Watch out for that tree!"

"Oh shit…"

I spun round and saw the low hanging tree branch about 2 seconds before the moment of impact. The next second, my world was spinning wildly. The last thing I saw was the road rushing up to strike me in the face.

* * *

**Dracia**

I dodged the Quick Attack and spun my body sideways, sending myself into a rapid spinning motion that slammed one of the Noctowl and sent it spiraling to the ground below.

The other quickly used a Double Team, creating several mirror images of himself as he dashed around me. My opponent got several cheap jabs at my back while I struggled to come up with a plan. Recalling what I'd trained with Jade and the others, I closed my eyes and listened for the beating of the wings.

Sensing it, I timed myself and fired the Aeroblast technique I'd learnt from Arist. The small explosion of feathers was a definite reward.

I quickly scanned the ground for the truck, which I saw far ahead. I was preparing to follow when it suddenly spun round and came back towards me.

_No_, I realized. They couldn't see me, but were going for Firestorm, lying sprawled across the road. The area seemed clear, with no sight of the Rocket bikers from earlier. Serac and Nala leapt out of the truck, releasing Mirage to help.

There was a sudden screech of tires as a black van came charging out of nowhere (actually, it was a side road), and deliberately crashed into the truck, sending it rolling over onto its side.

As everyone scrambled to get away from the spinning truck, Mirage shot a Fire Blast at it, igniting its fuel tank and blowing it up. The girls barely escaped the explosion, but were tossed roughly to the ground.

A group of masked soldiers leapt out of the van and fired a couple of grenades, which exploded into a greenish fog.

_Knockout gas! _I realized.

Serac, Nala and Mirage coughed and struggled against it for a while, but finally submitted to its effects.

"No!" I cried.

I was tempted to go charging to the rescue, but my better judgment told me it would be useless. The gas would only affect me as well. Instead I remained in the sky, out of sight, and watched as the soldiers load my unconscious friends into the van.

My only option was to follow the van and wait for a better chance.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"Are you sure about this?" Hazuki asked for the fifth time.

"Let me assure you, if I weren't, I would've quit way ahead."

"But it's stealing!"

"Stealing a few files from the police to take out the bad guys. I'd say it's a good tradeoff."

The small settlement near the base of Mount Silver simply consisted of a Pokemon Center, shops, lodgings and a police post. Beyond that, all was the unexplored wilderness of the vast mountain, surrounded by forests and rivers.

We'd come here after our encounters at the hidden temple to plan what to do next. The town seemed isolated enough for us to work with. Although Hazuki had earlier offered to bait Team Rocket by using herself, I'd decided against it after realizing we had another enemy in the form of Sliph.

However, it gave me an idea that I could use. TR and Sliph didn't like each other, as we'd seen so far. While TR was the criminal group, Sliph was supposedly just a Pokemon pharmaceutical company on the outside. And if TR had either attacked or raided some of Sliph's facilities, the police would probably have it recorded as robberies and such.

What I knew was that TR usually took great risks only with a valid reason, so I just needed to check up on the recent TR activity and see if any Sliph facilities had been attacked lately.

Hence, us sneaking into the police post in the middle of the night. Being as far out as this, the station wasn't fully staffed and mostly relied on automated security alarms. Nothing a ninja-trained Scyther couldn't get through, especially after Hazuki had cut a few wires on the main circuit board.

We walked as silently as possible and entered a room marked 'Records'.

"We'll have to make this quick." I said, shifting into human form. It would be easier for me to browse through the file cabinets with hands instead of bladed claws.

Hazuki nodded and started searching on the other side of the room.

I was pulling out a folder when my ears picked up the sudden footsteps coming from outside the door. I caught sight of another door leading out of the room and jumped to the most obvious response.

"Back door! Quick!" I whispered hastily, dashing for the smaller door, which connected to an adjacent locker room.

However, I'd forgotten Hazuki didn't exactly have my reflexes. And she froze in panic.

Thinking fast, I gestured towards a desk next to her. Hazuki dove under it and curled up just as the door opened.

"Think it should be here?" A familiar sounding voice asked.

"Yes, and keep it down Aaron, or we'll get caught."

I peeked through a creek from behind the door I was hiding behind.

_Now, haven't seen those two for a while. _I thought. _Aaron and Scarlet. _

While not two particularly bright or high ranking Rockets, Kris' old Team Rocket 'rivals' had caused us quite a few problems in the past.

"You search over there and I'll take this part." Scarlet decided.

"OK."

The pair spread out and begun rummaging through the file cabinets, just as Hazuki and I had been doing earlier. I could only remain silent and watch, wondering what they were after.

I cringed realizing Aaron was getting nearer to Hazuki's hiding place. My mind raced on whether to attack or remain hidden.

"Hmmm?" Aaron was standing right over the desk Hazuki was hiding under.

As he began to crouch down, I made the decision to move.

Suddenly, another person stepped into the room. He dressed in a night watchman's uniform and carrying a flashlight, which he shone into the room.

"Team Rocket!" He gasped, noticing Aaron and Scarlet's uniforms. "No! They must be after the Blue Card!"

"He must be the undercover Sliph agent!" Aaron muttered.

"Yeah." Scarlet nodded. Then, to the Sliph soldier. "And sure as hell we want that keycard, so don't try anything funny."

"Requesting bac…" That was as far as the soldier got on his radio before Aaron's Golbat snatched it out of his hands.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Scarlet taunted.

"Damned Rockets! Die!" The Sliph soldier let out a Croconaw. "Water Gun!"

"Nidorino! Horn Attack!" Scarlet sent out her Pokemon.

"Gastly, Confuse Ray!" Aaron too released his second Pokemon.

The Confuse Ray hit the Croconaw first, stunning it and making it wobble about unsteadily. Nidorino then barged into the water Pokemon, sending it spinning around. Its Water Gun went off course, right into the table Hazuki was under.

"Argh!" Hazuki cried as the table broke into pieces, sending her rolling over.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at their new intruder.

"It's the Chimera!" The Sliph soldier realized.

"The Chimera?!" Aaron gasped. "Urgh!"

Hazuki kicked the Rocket in the shin, causing him to stumble in pain.

"Hazuki!" I charged onto the scene.

The Sliph soldier whipped out a gun and fired, causing everyone else to drop to the ground. He hadn't been intending to hit us, but rather distract us as he tossed a grenade.

It exploded into a foul smelling gas that caused everyone to start coughing. The soldier swiftly snapped on a gas mask and dashed towards Hazuki. He knocked the stunned girl out with a punch to her stomach.

"Hazuki! No!" I coughed.

The Sliph agent quickly recalled his Croconaw, hoisted Hazuki over his shoulder and sprinted for the window.

"The tracker, quick!" Scarlet ordered, coughing.

"Gargh!" Aaron fired something from a rectangular box in his hand.

I saw a brief glint of metal as it hit the fleeing Sliph agent.

"I got it!" Aaron cried as the Sliph solder fled. "We've got his signal!"

Stuffing the folder I was holding under my arm, I held my breath and rammed Aaron in the chest.

"Arigatou!" I called, catching his device and leaping out the window.

I shifted into Scyther form as I did, and scanned the area outside for signs of Hazuki. I was just in time to see a car speeding off.

"Shit!" I cursed furiously, slamming my claws on the ground.

"Who's there?!" A female voice demanded from inside the police station. Officer Jenny and several policemen barged into the room, only to see the two Rockets and their Pokemon.

"Freeze Rockets! You're under arrest!"

"Wait! We didn't do anything… hehehehehehehe!" Scarlet abruptly began laughing.

"She's right… hehehehe… we were just… hehehehahahaha!" Aaron burst out.

"Save it!" Jenny growled. "You have to right to… hehehehe… remain… hahaha… what's going… hahaha… on?!"

"It's… hehehehe… laughing gas!" Another officer realized.

The Rocket's Pokemon had burst out laughing as well.

"Doesn't matter. Hehehehehahah… take em' in! Hahahaha!"

Leaving Aaron and Scarlet in the hands of the police, I grabbed what I'd taken in my mouth and flew into the forest.

"Hazuki…" I sighed, depressed. I'd lost her and Kyle too, whose Pokeball she'd been carrying. Just like I'd lost Kris.

But at least I had a chance. I switched back to human form and got out Luminair to provide some lighting. The Jolteon could tell by the grim expression on my face that something was wrong, and decided not to say anything.

As I shifted the file I'd been holding onto, a bunch of papers slipped out. Together with it was a blue colored card. I stared in disbelief, recalling the conversation between my enemies from earlier.

I glanced from the Blue Card to the stolen tracking device and back again.

_A keycard? _I wondered. _An undercover Sliph agent, whom they were attempting to pass this keycard to. _

I stared at the screen of the palm-sized tracker and nodded in resolution. The location of my target was blinking. My course of action was clear.

"Let's move!"

* * *

**Swordia**

I turned towards the Mewtwo in front of us. Not the actual Mewtwo, but one transformed from a human. Mewtwo itself was already a genetically engineered Pokemon, and that left Syndrea as far away from being 'natural' as one could possibly be.

I still saw in my mind how she'd single handedly torn the Rocket Base down, leaving nothing but ashes and twisted bits of metal and concrete.

Giovanni had of course, fled before the base went up in flames, disappearing once again into the shadows.

Alugard and Scantrix were further down the slope, going through data on a laptop they'd taken from the Rocket base. We'd decided to take Syndrea out for a bit and let her 'enjoy' the outdoors after being confined in a lab for so long. Now, she stood in the edge of a cliff, silently glancing up at the moon.

I couldn't imagine what must've been going though the former human's mind at that moment.

(Thank you for helping me. ) Syndrea said so suddenly that I started.

"Huh? Oh, yes, don't worry about it." I caught my composure.

(I could feel there was something different about you that first time we fought. ) She told me. (Especially that last attack. )

"Yes. When we saw into each other's minds." I nodded. "That was how I learned your name, and that you existed. But I didn't recall much until recently."

(Whatever it is, I am still grateful. And will always be. ) The Mewtwo spoke, before going back to gazing up at the moon.

"Swordia, take a look at this." Scantrix called me over.

I gave Syndrea a quick glance to make sure she was OK, and then flew over to the Skarmory's side.

"Here's some interesting info Team Rocket spies got from Sliph." He said, pointing the edge of his wing at the screen. "The plans for creation of a virus."

"And an actual one, mind you." Alugard added in.

"What kind?" I asked.

"That's the thing the Rockets don't know." Alugard explained. "But Sliph has plans to design a new virus. Even if it's just in the planning stages…"

"It could be potentially dangerous, knowing them." I nodded.

"And such, we need to get into one of Sliph's bases and find out." Alugard said. "And we've found an ideal one near the Lake of Rage…"

* * *

**Firestorm **

I groaned, feeling my consciousness finally returning.

"Storm, can you hear me?! Storm?"

"Ugh, Mirage?! What the?!"

I found myself tied to a chair, in the middle of a dark room illuminated only by the Ponyta's flames. She too was tied up like a parcel and strapped down beside me. There was barely enough space in the muzzle for her to open her mouth and talk.

"Sorry, we got caught." She muttered.

"I figured." I groaned, still very weak. My muscles were badly cramped too. "The Rockets?"

"No, someone else." The Ponyta said. "They took the girls and us here in a van, but Dracia escaped."

I nodded.

"But there was something else. I was unconscious for most of the trip, but I remember waking up and seeing them sticking a bunch of needles into you. They were drawing blood, I think."

"My blood? What would they want that for?" I wondered aloud. "And who's the 'they' for that matter anyway?"

"Really my dear Chimera, I thought you'd know better by now."

I realized there was another person in the room. He was a Japanese man with his long black hair tied in a samurai-style ponytail. He was dressed in a black business suit with a matching tie and long trousers.

"Jubei Gantuskou." He introduced. "Commander of Sliph's new Special Forces. And I welcome you to our base, behind the Lake of Rage. It also doubles as an equipment producing factory and a power plant."

"A military commander in a suit?" I muttered.

"Well, there sadly are formal occasions that come with the job." Jubei laughed. "Like the one right now."

The SF commander snapped his fingers and a door opened. A trio of soldiers in green walked in and roughly dragged Mirage and myself out the door.

"You're about to meet a rather high up person on Sliph's ladder." Jubei laughed.

I could almost swear I heard him whisper 'but not for much longer'.

* * *

**Serac**

"Hey! Lemme out this instant! Do you hear me?!" Nala pounded the steel barricaded door.

"Don't waste your energy." I told her. "It's no use."

The featureless gray room was entirely surrounded by reinforced metal walls. As far as I could remember, Nala and I had woken up in it.

"Grrr… I just feel so… yyyaarrggghh!"

I was utterly surprised when she tossed off a white beam at the door. A Hyper Beam.

Nala seemed equally shocked.

"What the?! How did I…?" She staggered.

"Nala, let me show you something." I clenched a fist and electricity gathered around it. With a yell, I launched it at the door. However, my Thunderbolt produced no better results than her.

"You can…" Nala shook her head. "It's too weird. You and Storm, you're both Chimeras?"

"Not actually… hey, how do you know about the Chimera thing?!"

"See, when I was working in Team Rocket, I sort of made friends with this high up guy. His name was Alken, one of the Rocket Elites then. He accidentally spilled the beans to me, so I promised to keep it a secret that I knew about it. But not like it matters now. I got word that Alken died on a mission where a cruise ship blew up."

"I see." I nodded.

"But it's strange. If I were a Chimera, I would've most likely known. Unless…" Nala looked down at her arm. "Looks like I've been injected with something."

"Either that, or you've had something taken out." I muttered, rubbing my own right forearm. Apparently, I'd been subjected to the same treatment.

"Whatever it is, I guess we've now got big red 'X's stamped on out butts." Nala sighed.

"Well, Storm and I aren't actual Chimeras, but I think we must have a similar genetic makeup to what they expect Chimeras to have."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a long story." I said. "But since we're not going anywhere soon, I guess we have time to talk…"

* * *

**Jade **

My strength drained, I collapsed against the side of the tank. Not like there was much space in the tight-fitting translucent cylinder that was my prison.

The last things I could remember were the battle in the valley and having the net being thrown around me. When I next awoke, I was here, trapped in this thing. No amount of flames or slashing could seem to break through.

Finally, I'd submitted and sat silently. However, I looked up and took notice of my surroundings.

_An office. _The thought came to my mind. _But how did I know that? _

That was a human thing. I'd never been under humans before… or had I?

As I turned my head, I saw an elderly human. He was seated at a desk, facing away from me. A door across the room opened and another human with black hair stepped in.

"This is Mr. Winters, Head of Sliph's advisory committee." The black haired human introduced.

"Thank you Jubei." The old human nodded.

The next figure that stepped into the room was someone I recognized.

_Firestorm! _The Charizard/human I'd fought alongside during the battle in the valley. He was accompanied by a Ponyta, likely the one from before was well.

However, they were tired up with ropes and being shoved by another group of three humans. Firestorm turned directly towards me. I roared and banged the glass, but Firestorm acted as if he hadn't seen or heard me.

_And perhaps he can't. I could be behind a three way mirror. _I thumped my head against the wall, utterly confused. Those human-like thoughts had popped up again, but from where? _What was I, really? _

Whatever it was, I had no choice but to watch for now.

"I compliment you for leading us on this merry chase for so long, Chimera." The human, Winters, laughed.

"Pleasure's all mine." Firestorm growled, not the least amused.

"But now we've gotten what we needed; ample blood and DNA samples from you and your friends."

"For what reason?" Firestorm demanded.

"Oh, I can't tell you that, now can I?" Winters grinned evilly. "But I can tell you it was thanks to our archenemies, Team Rocket, that we conveniently found out about you. You should be thankful actually, Team Rocket would not have been as merciful as we have."

"You're all evil, sadistic bastards, nothing more." Firestorm spat.

"You can believe what you want." Winters replied. "Jubei, once you're dealt with him, take the samples back down to headquarters. Our researchers there will prepare them for Operation V-X."

"No." Jubei folded his arms.

"WHAT?!"

"I'm executing Operation V-X on my own." Jubei said calmly. "I don't need the assistance of your puny technicians."

"I am giving the Special Forces a direct order from the Sliph Executive Committee!" Winters roared, jumping up.

"My Special Forces are no longer under Sliph's command." Jubei replied. "You paper pushers can go hire another mercenary army to call your special forces. I'm sure you have enough money to do that."

"How dare you?! Under who's authority is this?!" While no one else in the room could see it, I could because I was located behind Winters' desk. He pushed a button beneath it.

A pair of guards came running in. Jubei whipped out a gun and gave both headshots before they had time to do so much as even draw their own weapons.

"Mine. Right now."

"The Sliph President will hear about this betrayal!" Winters yelled, slamming his fists on the table, more outraged than anything else.

"The President, doesn't have to know." Jubei's gun went up and fired repeatedly, making dozens of bloody holes in Winter.

"This is a conspiracy." Firestorm muttered as Jubei calmly kicked the Executive's lifeless body to the ground.

"Catch on quick, don't you." Jubei laughed. "He did want me to put you down for good, but I'm going to give you a chance to get out alive. Provided you accomplish the task I have for you."

"I don't like the sound of it." Firestorm growled.

"It's simple really. Dlyin, my second in command was followed here by a Team Rocket agent. And I want you to kill him."

"Why should I?"

"Because…" Jubei pushed a button on the table.

The three way mirror had been keeping me out of Firestorm's sight slide down. I could confirm it because Firestorm gasped in shock upon seeing me.

"There's something else too." Jubei pulled out a remote control and pushed a button. A screen on the wall lit up. The image was very far away from me, but I could just make out two humans inside a large, gray room.

"Serac! Nala!" Firestorm shouted, even through they couldn't hear him.

"Now, this."

The screen changed to show another human standing outside what seemed like the large steel door of a building. Once again, I couldn't really see what he was doing, but the door eventually opened.

"See that card he's holding? It not only activates certain locks here, but is also the key to the cells of the females and your Charizard here. But to make it more challenging…"

Jubei's men grabbed the Ponyta and strapped something onto her. She was then tossed into an adjoining room and locked in.

"This C4 will go off in 10 minutes." Jubei explained. "While the card will also release this lock, you'll have to be quick. Regardless of your actions, this place is going up in flames after those same 10 minutes."

"You are an utterly despicable, sickening son of a bitch!" Firestorm roared.

Jubei only remained silent and pushed another button. However, this one affected my prison instead. I roared in pain, feeling a cold chill coming over my body. I struggled in vain as ice crept over my entire body, freezing me solid. I couldn't imagine the terrified expression my face must've been contorted into.

While I couldn't move a single muscle, I was still fully conscious.

Firestorm went red in pure rage. His fists clenched and his whole body vibrated, but he couldn't come up with anything to say.

"You're time's ticking down now, so better hurry." Jubei reminded as emotionless as ever as his men tossed Firestorm out of the room.

With a sinister laugh, the crazed commander and his men departed, leaving me to a fate that was at best, described as uncertain.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"This is it." I said to Luminair and Ahsura.

Following the signal, I'd morphed into Scyther form and flown all the way to this hidden facility close to the Lake of Rage. Under the midnight sky, the three of us crouched in the bushes and watched, but saw no signs of any security. The place seemed strangely deserted.

The huge metal door ahead was almost beckoning me to enter.

"I need you guys to stay out here and keep watch." I told my companions.

"But, you can't just go in there by yourself!" Luminair protested.

"I'm sorry. I need to. And I can't risk losing anyone else." I switched back to human form and dropped my pack, taking only the sword. "I'll be back, I promise."

Leaving them in the bushes before they had any time to protest, I jogged up to the steel door and examined it. Definitely no easy way of forcefully getting through without making one humongous racket. I then caught sight of the card reader at the side.

I pulled out the Blue Card and slid it through. With a metallic hiss, the doors opened.

I took several steps in before the doors suddenly slammed shut, startling me. I had entered what appeared to be a metalwork factory.

I moved cautiously in, tediously checking all around for any signs of danger.

Automated machines were moving, steam hissing, and water dripping from the pipes and flowing across the floor. It was a dark, dimly lit place.

_Perfect spot for an ambush._

No sooner had that thought hit my mind did I hear a soft click. I rolled away as a sharp metal pole impaled itself in the floor I'd been standing on. I glanced up so see its thrower, poised on a set of machinery above me.

He was a strong built male wearing gloves that exposed the back of the palm and the fingertips. He was dressed in a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a pair of sports shoes. A black jacket was also on over the shirt. His hair was orange with red streaks, coming down past his shoulder length. His fierce brown eyes seemed to have a fiery glow in them.

"Game's over, Rocket." He growled, leaping down to my level.

"What are you talking about?!" I demanded, furious at being called a Rocket.

"You don't need to fake it. Hand over the Blue Card and you'll live!"

"Over my dead body!" I yelled. "Who knows what you Sliph bastards will do once you have your precious key back?"

"Don't you dare associate me with those foul creatures!" He roared.

"Now you're the one who's faking!" I placed my hand on my sword.

"I see there's no other way around this." He muttered, stepping into a fighting stance. "Draw your weapon fiend, and we battle!"

I hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"There is no honor in drawing my sword against an unarmed opponent." I declared, tossing the blade aside.

"Noble act, but it won't save you!"

"Say that about yourself!"

And so, we stood tense, ready to tear each other's hearts out. All at once, it begun.

* * *

_Hatred had overtaken me. It had consumed all of us for that matter. If we'd only known back then… _


	15. At the Eleventh Hour

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**At the Eleventh Hour**

By nightdragon0

**Dracia**

I circled the base uneasily, not really sure of what I should do. It been no simple task keeping up, but I'd finally reached the base and seen the van drive in.

After my tenth round, I decided to take a rest and flew down to hide in the forest nearby.

A helicopter was just taking off from the rooftop. I stared up at it, again with doubts and indecision filling my mind. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I failed to notice the other Pokemon nearby until it accidentally snapped a twig. I spun round and barely dodged in time as a Jolteon flew past.

However, he landed on the balls of his feet, rolled forward and turned to face me again. I roared, and had my air supply abruptly cut off as a pair of vines was wrapped around my neck. The Ivysaur pulled back, pulling my head up and distorting my aim.

The Jolteon pounced and I realized in horror that the maneuver had also exposed my throat to be ripped wide open. I closed my eyes, expecting my thoughts to end anytime.

When nothing happened, I risked a peek and found instead the Jolteon was perched on my shoulder, sniffing.

"Could it really be…?" He muttered. "Dracia, is that you?!"

"Who…" I stopped short. "Jolteon? Ivysaur?"

"Dracia, is really you!" Ivysaur cried happily, releasing his vines. "Awesome, you evolved to a Dragonite!"

"Ivysaur, it's great to see you again too."

"I'm called Ahsura now. And Jolt's called Luminair."

"But what are you guys doing here?" I asked. "After you disappeared with Kris, my group's been through some absolutely crazy stuff!"

"It's Nightslice. He came to rescue Hazuki." Luminair explained.

"Nightslice is here?! And who's Hazuki?"

"Long story." Ahsura muttered. "You have to read the entire fic to find out."

"I'm here because Storm's group was captured by these people." I spoke. "And I came to rescue them."

"Well, you shouldn't been standing around here having your little reunion then." A deep voice spoke, startling all of us.

"Alugard!" I told the others as the armored Scizor stepped into view.

Luminair and Ivysaur growled menacingly. Whether they were intimidated by Alugard's new form was not shown on the surface.

"What do you want now?" I growled.

"Relax my dear, I'm not here to fight you this time at least." The Scizor laughed, folding his arms. "In fact, it might be mutually beneficial for us to go in together on this one."

"You expect us to believe that?"

"Look, my agents report that the base is going to kingdom come in less than 10 minutes now. You have things you need from there, and so do I. Besides, I would've just let your friends blow up if I wanted all of you dead."

I glanced from Luminair to Ahsura, who gave me their conformational nods. They wanted me to make the call.

"All right Alugard, we'll play it your way." I sighed reluctantly.

"There, not too hard was it? Now, first thing is to get into the base itself."

"I checked around it. All the doors seemed to be shut tight." I said.

"Actually, you should remember that stealth is no longer necessary." A wide grin crept across Alugard's face.

* * *

**Firestorm **

I attacked first, not wanting to give my opponent a chance. He gracefully stepped out of the way of two punches and did a back flip up onto a stack of crates.

_Not bad. _I thought, leaping up after him.

The young man climbed up a little and shoved a crate down at me. With a yell, I swung my fist and smashed it to pieces. I saw him gasp as I charged towards him.

My kick connected, sending him flying back into the wall. The soldier quickly pulled himself to his feet, ducked my following punch and knocked my feet out from under me.

Immediately, he disappeared into the darkness of the second level walkway.

I stood on guard, waiting for him to make his move, at the same time wondering how he was able to see wearing sunglasses in the dark. A flicker of movement caught my attention, causing me to turn around.

A little too late, I realized he'd taken off and thrown his brown vest as a distraction.

The kick from behind sent me stumbling into a set of machinery. My shirt got caught on a gear as I pulled away, tearing it from the right sleeve all the way across to the bottom left corner.

He hadn't been expecting my quick retaliation as I threw a side kick followed by a combo of punches.

My opponent took several hits before he managed to get his guard back up. He caught my hand and threw me sideways.

I hit the ground hard, and he followed up with a 'slamming' move. I rolled away and gave him an uppercut to his chin, halting his attack midway.

Infuriated, he stumbled backwards, wiping his bleeding lip with the back of his hand. I realized blood was flowing down from a cut on my forehead.

And the fight continued.

* * *

**Swordia**

Sneaking through a base was one thing. However, running through one about to blow up was another story.

Under the cover of the night and forest, our party had arrived just in time to see a helicopter flying off. We had split off from Alugard with the intention to sneak in separately.

Syndrea had come along, but we'd decided against forcing her to undertake the task against her will.

Scantrix and I had been climbing in through a window when the self destruct message started playing. And we'd started flying as quickly as we could.

"Darn, this is going to get a record timing if we make it out alive." Scantrix muttered.

"Yeah, it's a good thing we decided to make this a 3-mon mission." I nodded.

A pair of Hyper Beams easily blew open the control room's door.

"Remember, just stick the device in." Scantrix instructed.

"I know." I said, lifting my left claw.

Prior to this, a square device had been strapped to its flat end. Another of Alugard's gadgets, this one supposedly containing a self executing program to download information on the virus we'd heard about.

Although the Scizor had intended to come and break through the security codes himself, it was fortunate that someone had left the computer running.

Scantrix opened a section on its side and I pushed the device in. The screen flashed with the words 'searching', then gave a confirmation message.

"We're rolling." I said as the download counter started going upwards.

"Just don't take your claw away from there." Scantrix instructed, flying over to a set of monitors at the other side of the room.

I could swear I'd heard him gasp.

"I've got to do something, all right?" He squawked hastily. "Just wait here. I'll be back."

The Skarmory was out the door before I even had time to contemplate his sentence.

"Scantrix? What was that about?" I wondered.

Out of curiosity, I called the one of the files about the virus. I choked at what I saw.

'_Phase 1 of V-X project complete. The new virus has successfully been engineered to recognize and infect various Pokemon DNA strains. Once infected, the virus replicates itself using the host cell's DNA and spreads to other cells. It is a slow inflicting virus, causing much pain as body systems fail, eventually proving fatal to the host. Now, all it needs it a sample of DNA from a Chimera to be incorporated into it, and the V-X virus will be ready to enter its final stages…' _

"What the hell?! Those bastards! They don't even deserve to be called human!"

I was so enraged that I pulled my claw, and the device away from the main computer, cutting off the download.

"OH SHIT!!"

I shoved the device in and reactivated the download. Now, it would take longer.

Still swearing, I turned my head and noticed the flickering items on some of the screens. They were showing images of various rooms around the base.

One, however, caught my attention.

"Nightslice…?!"

* * *

**Hazuki**

"Hazuki! Hazuki! Wake up!"

"Urgh…" I groaned, finding myself staring up at a gray ceiling. Slowly, the previous events came back to me.

Sneaking into the station, the fight, me getting kidnapped, looking up at a brightly lit room, people sticking needles into my arm…

I bolted up, shaking my head.

"Hazuki!"

"Kyle!" I gasped.

I was in a large, gray room with strong-looking, reinforced walls. Kyle was trapped in a transparent, water-filled 'crystal ball' in the center of the room.

"What's been going on? Where did they take us?"

"I have no idea." The Lapras shook his head. "I only remember them sticking some needles into you. Man, the size of those things even scared me."

"How'd you get in there?" I asked.

"Oh, the fairy godmother waved her magic wand. Those bastards stuck me in here of course!"

I stepped back and gave his prison a kick, succeeding only in hurting my foot.

"Don't you think I've tried that?! Someone obviously doesn't want us getting out."

I put my hand on my chin and thought for a moment.

"Why don't you try freezing the water around you?" I suggested.

"What?! And turn myself into a Lapras Popsicle?!" He protested.

"When waters freezes into ice, it takes up more space. It should shatter the glass ball pretty quickly." I explained.

"There's no way I'm going to…"

A computerized voice beep as alarms began sounding.

"The self destruct system has now been activated. The self destruct system has now been activated. Base will detonate in 8 minutes. All personnel please proceed to your designated evacuation points. The self destruct system has now been activated…"

Kyle and I stared at each other in shock.

"I'm doing it!" The Lapras declared.

* * *

**Dracia**

"I'll lead you to where your friends are being held, after that, you're on your own." Alugard said as we ran through the corridors. The monotonous self destruct message was really starting to seriously piss me off.

"Yeah, sure." I nodded.

"Make sure of it." Luminair growled.

Alugard had simply lead us to the roof and down through the emergency stairway. Whoever had taken the helicopter out of there earlier had left it unlocked in their hasty departure.

"Here." Alugard threw open a door and lead us into a security room, filled with screens and monitors. He pushed several buttons and pointed to an image on one of the screens.

It showed Serac and Nala in a gray room, pounding on the door. They'd obviously heard the warning message too, now at 7 minutes.

"We have to save those girls." I declared.

"Room 05/11." Ahsura read the words on the bottom of the screen.

"That's a couple floors down." Luminair said. "We'll have to hurry."

"Alugard, where…" I stopped short. "Dammit!"

We'd taken our eyes off the cunning Scizor for a few seconds and he'd disappeared.

"We don't have time to worry about him." Ahsura decided. "Let's go. We can for the elevator!"

"You're not supposed to use those in emergencies!" Luminair protested.

"Yeah, but nobody said anything about using the elevator shaft!"

The pair dashed out of the room.

I was about to follow when a radio in the room hissed.

"Dracia!" I female voice called from the other end. "Dracia, Storm and Nightslice are fighting each other."

"What?! Who is this?!"

"My name is not important. Down on the factory level. Hurry!"

"Wait!" Too late, the connection was severed.

I happened to look up at a screen and saw the scene. Two humans fighting in what looked like a metal works factory. One was Firestorm, but the other…

"This is not my day!" I roared, taking flight.

* * *

**Serac**

I pounded the door again, with little effect.

"Damn! Damn! Dammit! I don't want to die!" Nala was screaming.

"We're not going to, all right?!" I gasped, gathering up my energy for a Thunderbolt. "Not if I can do anything about it!"

"I…ugh…" Nala knelt down and put her hands to her head. "Your voice, I hear it…"

I didn't have time for queries as I threw off the lightning attack.

All of a sudden, the door slid open and my Thunderbolt went out, creating a large, blackened spot on the corridor, accompanied by a loud bang.

"What the?!" Nala and I stared mouth opened at each other in shock.

"Well, don't just stand there!" A voice from outside yelled. "After I went through the trouble of hotwiring this stupid control panel, you'd better get out of here alive!"

We dashed out to see a Skarmory hovering in the corridor.

"What…who…?" I began.

"No time. Nala, just get out of here. But take this." The steel bird tossed a shiny object onto the ground and darted round to the left corridor.

"I'm confused." I admitted.

Nala bent down to pick up the object, a pendant in the shape of a fox's head.

"Serac, there's something I have to do." She said.

"Nala, this place is going up in like, 6 minutes."

"Someone is calling out to me. Someone in this building. I need to find out whom. I promise I'll get out in time." The dark haired girl insisted. "Please, just go on first."

"All right." I gave in, seeing nothing was going to change her mind anytime soon. "Hurry, and be careful."

Nodding, Nala sprinted for a nearby stairway, climbing up two steps at a time.

Another deafening explosion shook the area. This one too, was nearby, but to the right instead. I sprinted around the bend to see a Jolteon and Ivysaur furiously pounding on a door with their Thunderbolt and Solarbeam attacks.

"Hurry, I know Hazuki's in there! I can smell her!" The Jolteon barked. "We've got to get her out!"

"Someone's in there?" I asked, running towards them.

"Who…hey, she's one of those Dracia told us to rescue!" The Ivysaur realized.

"Dracia? She's here too?"

"Whoa, she understands us." Jolteon gasped.

"Hey, we can do intros later." Ivysaur told him. Then, he turned towards me. "We're on the same side lady."

"I figured." I nodded. "If someone's locked in there, I'll help."

Both Pokemon stared mouth opened as electrical energy gathered around my hands.

"Together guys."

"Erm, right away!" Both did somewhat variations of a salute with their vine and paw respectively.

* * *

**Nightslice**

The fellow was good. Really good to take me on.

It had been a brutal duel of strength and skill. Both of us were bruised and bleeding all over.

The fight had taken us up to the second level catwalk, overlooking the various conveyer belts and machinery.

I used a back flip to get out of my opponent's way, but he changed his direction and used a back thrust. It caught me in the gut, but I managed to land on my side and roll away. I was now right at the end of the walkway, overlooking a conveyer belt.

Scrambling to my feet, I prepared myself as he charged towards me.

_Man, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that was… _

"Firestorm! Nightslice! Stop fighting each other you two buffoons!"

Two things immediately hit my mind. One was that the voice belonged to Dracia. And the other was…

Firestorm must've realized that as well. However, his motion had already brought his body beyond his control.

"Yargh!" I screamed in pain as he rammed me over the edge. My sunglasses went flying, disappearing somewhere into the darkness.

"Nightslice!" He yelled, leaning over. "Nightslice, is that really you?! I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

Dracia flew and landed by his side.

"Storm?! Dammit, what the f#&# is going on?!"

"Later. For now, I need that blue card you've got." Firestorm said. "I need it to save Jade and the others!"

"5 minutes until self destruct." A computerized voice beeped.

We'd been so wrapped in our fight that we hadn't even noticed. Still dizzy with tension, I took a step back and accidentally hit pushed a leaver. The conveyer belt jerked to life throwing me onto my back.

"Nightslice!" Firestorm called.

"Catch!" I tossed my entire belt pouch and shifted into my Scyther body, the rest of my clothes seemingly melding into the form.

Storm ripped off what was left of his shirt and tossed it away, before changing back into his Charizard self. Dracia caught the belt pouch and fished out the blue card.

"Watch out behind you!" Dracia suddenly shouted.

I realized the moving conveyer belt had brought me under what seemed like a compressor. Apparently, this machine was meant to nail two metal sheets together. One sheet was held up on its flat surface and I was lying on the other.

The hum of the machine carrying out its job snapped me back to the reality that it was about to flatten me. I propelled myself away, but not quickly enough.

My right claw was caught between the two sheets as the machine fastened them together.

"Nightslice!" Storm and Dracia exclaimed simultaneously.

"Both of you go save Jade and the others! Don't worry about me!" I insisted. "There's another girl named Hazuki. Get her out as well!"

"But…" Storm protested.

"GO!"

The pair finally complied. However, I turned and realized the entire conveyer belt moved under a series of similar compressors. And I was pinned down to it.

* * *

**Nala**

"Where are you?" I asked no one as I ran. "Who are you?"

I was basically running blind, following this mysterious voice I'd suddenly begun hearing in my head. It could very well lead to me getting lost, and thus blown up with this facility.

However, something made me push on.

I approached a pair of white double doors and stepped into what appeared to be a hatchery. All around were tables with computers and incubators filled with broken egg shells. Rows of books and chemicals lined the appropriate shelves. The lights had been damaged and were flickering on and off, making it very difficult to see in the darkness.

"There's nothing…no, wait!"

Noticing a greenish glow, I jogged towards the back of the room. Lining the wall was a series of cylindrical glass tubes, which looked like the kind they'd use to grow embryos in.

All of them were broken or shattered in some way or another…all except for the last one.

Heart pounding, I stepped up to it and pressed my face against the glass. Although the cylinder was filled with a thick, greenish liquid, I could just barely make out some shape inside.

I could see bubbles, as well as some part of the creature moving.

_It's alive! _I realized.

All of a sudden, its eyes opened.

Startled, I rapidly backed away. The creature started thumping on the glass from within its prison, eager to break free. I screamed as cracks began appearing. The sight of its razor like fangs and claws got me running.

Unfortunately, automated programming sealed the door just as I got to it.

"NO! NO! NO!" I cried in terror, pounding my fists on it.

The ear-splitting crash of the glass tank shattering soon filled the room. I turned to see the dark shape dashing towards me.

And I passed out.

* * *

**Hazuki**

I covered my face as shards of glass went flying.

"Great job Kyle!"

"Whew, I never want to do that again." The Lapras panted.

The task had really been much tougher than I'd imagined it to be. Kyle was probably holding back all his colorful swear words, considering how bad it must've been for him.

The Lapras looked quite exhausted, having frozen the water from within his prison. Not only had he risked freezing himself into submission, but possibly having the weight of the ice crushing his body.

I ran my hands across his head and neck, realizing what I'd just put him through. I hadn't really considered all those things.

"I'd sorry about you having to do that." I apologized. "Guess I'm not good at making decisions."

"Don't worry about me." He managed a weak smile. "Concentrate on getting out of here before you start pouring me with kisses. And no autographs please!"

The doors were abruptly blown open, revealing Luminair and Ahsura, together with a blond haired woman.

"Guys!" I cried, the two Pokemon leaping into my arms. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"I'm Serac." The woman introduced. "And I'm here to get you out!"

"Is everybody all right?" A new voice asked.

I stepped out into a gray corridor, pretty much as featureless as the cell had been. A Dragonite had just entered the scene.

"Yeah, doing fine." Serac told her.

"Are you Hazuki?" The Dragonite asked.

"Yes." I nodded.

"They're friends." Luminair said to me.

"Where's Storm?" Serac asked.

"Gone after Jade and Mirage." Dragonite replied. "I'm going to go help him out. Can you get everyone else out of here, right now?"

"Leave it to me." Serac gave a thumbs-up.

"Don't die on me, OK?" Kyle muttered.

"Momantai." I smiled, recalling him into a Pokeball.

Things were really going fast now. Joining my new friends, I ran.

"3 minutes until self destruct…"

* * *

**Jade **

Self destruct…that meant blow up.

I didn't give a dammed how I knew anymore. But what I was sure of was that I didn't want to die here, not like this.

Screaming in silent rage, I pushed against the ice around my body. My muscles burned with exhaustion as I strained them to their limits. I managed to wiggle a bit. Then, a little more. However, barely enough to shift my frozen body slightly.

Despite my best efforts, all seemed in vain.

_Strength alone will not win this battle. _A voice told me.

_Who…? _I started.

_Forgotten me, have you Jade?_ It laughed. _Well, it doesn't matter now. You've always had that inner fire. Now is the time to unleash it… _

I held my breath and focused. I could feel my tail flame grow stronger.

_One strike is all you need Jade… _

"Jade!" With a hiss, the door slid open and Firestorm rushed in. Whatever he really was, he was Charizard for now. "Hold on!"

Running up to my prison, he slid a card through some machine in front of it.

"Shit! It's busted!" He roared, pounding on the machine. "Jade, I'll get you out myself! Hold on!"

Snarling, he backed off and rammed my glass prison. Again and again.

_One strike…_ I thought. It was hard to remember exactly what I did, but I knew that I drove everything into it. My will and strength. And the ice shattered.

Dripping with sweat, I collapsed against the glass wall, panting wildly. Several sharper shards of ice had cut me in too many places to count.

Firestorm was yelling something I was too dazed to understand, but I figured he wanted me to keep hitting. Every movement added on to my already bruised body.

It was a while before we punched a small hole in the glass, allowing me to hear Firestorm's swearing better.

"Damn! Damn! DAMN! DAMN!" He cursed. "I need more power dammit! RRRRAAGGGGHHHHH!"

Firestorm backed away and prepared for a final charge.

A thought just snapped into my mind. I just…knew what Firestorm needed from me. With a last burst of strength, I gathered up what energy I had left and fired an intense burst of flames through the hole. Instead of hitting my companion however, the flames wrapped themselves around his claws.

Time seemed to slow down as the leapt forward, claws outstretched and alit with flames. Even his eyes seemed to grow brighter by the power of the flames.

"X-Strike!"

I knew time had sped up again when I heard the crash of the glass finally giving in. As much as I felt the pieces piercing into even my tough scales.

I was aware of my face hitting the floor, but nothing more…

* * *

**Dracia**

I barged in just in time to see Firestorm pulling Jade up from the floor.

"Guys!"

"Dracia, good timing." Firestorm panted, looking on the verge of passing out himself. "The card…Mirage…in the next room."

I carefully took the frail piece of plastic from his claws and nodded.

"Just hurry and get Jade out of here."

He hoisted Jade over his shoulder and moved briskly out the door, presumably to the nearest window.

I dashed for the only other door in the room and slid the card through the reader.

"Dracia!" I heard Mirage's voice, and squeezed my body through before the doors were fully open.

"On my way!" I roared.

The Ponyta was tied up and lying on her side at the far end of the room. I shoved scattered pieces of furniture away as I approached my friend to remove her bonds.

"Don't touch it!" She warned. "This thing on me is a bomb!"

"How do I…of course, the card!" I realized, bringing it up again. There was a nice slot for the card on an electronic lock holding the straps and the bomb to Mirage's body.

"Hurry, I heard them say that this bomb will blow up at the same time this place does."

"Don't worry Mirage, I…"

"Watch out!"

I felt the vibration of the room as something in the corridor outside exploded. I was suddenly thumped from behind by pieces of the falling wall, blown free by the blast.

I hit the ground hard, losing the keycard in the process. All my senses had seemed suddenly blank out.

_No… _

Mirage was yelling something I couldn't hear. Desperately, I tried to push myself up, but the weight of the metal and concrete pieces covering me was too much. I was seeing much more than stars in front of my eyes.

_I'm…sorry… _

I gave in, dropping back to the ground.

* * *

_I had failed my friends…again._

_If only…if only I'd fought on. Then, maybe… _


	16. Yoake Mae: Before Dawn

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Yoake** **Mae: Before Dawn **

By nightdragon0

**Nala**

"Sis? Sis, please wake up."

I became aware of something licking my face. Groaning, I opened my eyes and found myself staring at a brown-eyed, reptilian-like face. I felt its breath against my neck and caught sight of the fangs.

I started screaming.

The creature wrapped its wing around my mouth.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that sis. I have awfully sensitive ears you know?"

I struggled for a while more until I managed to get it to my head that the 'monster' was actually talking to me. I looked over it closely and realized I'd seen a picture of it somewhere before.

An Aerodactyl. This one was a female, and a relatively young one considering she was only slightly higher than my eye level as I sat down on the floor.

She must've felt me calming down and released me from her hold.

"Riot is my name. Delighted to meet your acquaintance." She introduced. "It will be a great pleasure working together sis."

"I…erm…who…what…?" There were about a thousand questions I could've asked then, but I couldn't get a single one out.

"Something the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

_Ho boy, a talking Aerodactyl with a British accent. I'm dreaming or something, right? _

"Why so startled sis? Something wrong with my accent?"

"No! I just…erm…"

"2 minutes till self destruct." The intercom system announced.

"OH no!" I gasped, remembering our predicament. "Riot! The self destruct! We've got to get out of here!"

"The self what?"

"Never mind! Just blow a hole in the wall or something! Please tell me you know Hyper Beam or another relatively explosive technique?!"

Riot responded immediately and I had to cover my face to shield myself from the flying pieces the busted wall.

"Is this what you had in mind?" The Aerodactyl asked.

I could see a forest outside. Riot had apparently chosen the correct wall to aim at. I sprang up and clambered onto her back.

"GO! Fly! Get out of here now!" I ordered.

"Hang on!"

* * *

**Hazuki**

"Everyone out?" Serac asked.

"Those who were with us, at least." Luminair panted. "But how about Nightslice and Firestorm?"

"I hope they were able to make it." Serac muttered, shoving a branch away to look back at the building we'd run out from. "I'll run round the perimeter and see if I can find them. You guys should be able to wait here, but move further away. You'll want to be at a safe distance when the fireworks start."

"Don't worry." I assured her.

"I'll be back." Serac winked before sprinting off.

I glanced from her direction to the base, and the area around. Something just felt like it was missing.

"You OK, kid?" Luminair said to me.

"Huh, oh I'm fine. Really."

"Heads up guys!" Ahsura alerted us to a side of the building that had abruptly been blown open.

A bird-like shape leapt out and took to the sky. Actually, it was more like a flying reptile, with a rider.

"WHOA! Riot, easy on the turbulence!" The rider yelled.

"Sorry about that." Her Pokemon replied. "I have been dead for a few million years, you know?"

"Watch it! Yargh!"

Flying too near to the treetops, the pair had swerved to avoid hitting a branch and had lost control after that. With their respective yells, the plummeted to the ground, stirring up leaves and snapping branches.

"Ouch." Ahsura muttered.

"That was Serac's friend, wasn't it?" Luminair wondered.

"Yes, I'm sure of it." I said softly as the Pokemon turned towards me. "We'd better go help. Besides, we need to move further away from here."

The pair nodded and took off first. I was about to follow when I heard the bushes nearby rustle.

"Hmmm?" I took a step closer and got a fright when I saw a pair of glowing blue eyes staring back at me.

(Do not fear me child. ) A voice spoke into my mind. (I mean you no harm. )

Now more curious than afraid, I pushed through the bushes. I found myself facing a purple, feline-like humanoid. Some kind of Pokemon I didn't know of.

She too, turned towards me and out eyes met. For a long while, neither of us spoke.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"Whoa! SHIT!" I swore.

BAM! The compressor slammed down inches away from my face. I'd barely managed to roll away in time.

With one of my arms pinned down between the two metal sheets on the conveyer belt, my evasion tactics were strictly limited to left or right, on rolling either onto my chest or back. The metal sheets did absorb most of the shock from the compressor, but that didn't help very much at all.

Both trying to avoid being flattened and attempting to slash myself free at the same time was a daunting task, one even my trained reflexes had trouble keeping up with.

_Damn! Can I speed this up?! I can't use Hyper Beam at this range! _

In that one moment of distraction, I mistimed my roll and ended up face down against the sheet, my claws beneath my chest, right at the instant the machine brought another metal sheet down, pinning the rest of my body down.

I screamed more out of panic than pain as the next compressor slammed down onto my back, the one after fastening the sheet down. That left me sandwiched between the layers, with only my head being partially free. There was a large bulge in the sheet because of my trapped body.

It might actually have been funny if not for the current time crisis.

"3 minutes until self destruct…"

I cursed furiously under my breath. There was no way I could get out of this in time!

_Hey, I'm immortal, right? _I tried to assure myself. _Euphoria said that I would be resurrected even after incineration. I hope she wasn't joking about that part. _ _Now, the other thing that could really kill me besides the Scared Skills was… _

That was when I noticed the blade, meant to trim off uneven ends of the metal sheet. And my head was right in its path.

…_decapitation! _

If incineration couldn't kill me, how come this could?! But assuming she was right, then that was what was about to happen.

"RRRaaaggghhhh!" I roared in panic, unable to turn my head enough to do anything about the deadly blades.

_Stupid! Stupid! DAMMIT! Not now! It can't end now! _

The blade was getting closer and closer to my neck. I closed my eyes.

However, I suddenly heard the gears spluttering. The machinery, conveyer belt included, creaked and halted. I heard the twisting of metal and felt several small pieces flying and hitting my head.

I opened my eyes to find a sword stuck in the blades, inches away from my face. My sword.

_What the?! _

I'd barely even had time to comprehend that my head was still on my shoulders when my body was suddenly free. The sheet pinning me down had been sliced off.

I quickly freed my other claw and turned to find my rescuer.

"Storm? Dracia?" I called upon finding no one.

My eyes caught a flicker of movement in the darkness. It was some reddish shape darting away.

_A Scizor…_The scent came to my mind. _Alugard…he evolved?! _

He'd saved me, but why?

I quickly forgot all about it as I noticed the figure on the raised platform above me. It was another Scyther…one that seemed so…familiar.

"KRIS?!" I gasped. Somehow, the thought just hit me.

Kris, the Scyther, just stared back. In those few intense seconds, thousands of things ran through my mind. Everything I wanted to say, I wanted to do…after so long.

She too seemed lost for words. Silently, she turned towards the floor and closed her eyes. Then, she sprinted off.

Horrified, I suddenly remember the dreams I'd constantly been having. And now, they were coming true.

"Kris! No! Please! Don't go!" I pleaded, running in the direction I'd seen her go.

An explosion threw me back, at the same time blocking off the pathway.

"NO! NNNNNNNNOOOOOOO!"

"1 minute till self destruct…"

Despite my own emotions, the computer's completely impassive voice hit me like a jackhammer on the head.

I ran, pausing just long enough to grab the sword between my jaws and pull it free.

* * *

**Dracia**

I became aware of someone screaming my name. Even through my body groaned in protest, I struggled back to consciousness.

"Dracia!" The voice again. I felt heat, something burning on my back.

_Mirage…MIRAGE! _

I sprang up, realizing the Ponyta had used her fire attacks to shove the debris off my back.

"Mirage!" I gasped, remembering the dire situation. "Where's the keycard!"

Frantically, I glanced around, ignoring the heat of the small fires in the room.

"Get out of here, now!" Mirage shouted in an authoritative voice.

"But…"

"20 seconds until self destruct…"

"Oh my god!" I cried. Mirage was still tied down and there was no way I knew to get her out without setting off the C4 strapped to her. Not without the keycard at least.

"Just save yourself and go!" She yelled.

"No! I could never…" I protested. The fire elemental Ponyta might have had a chance of surviving the flames, but not the bomb.

"Go, please." Mirage begged.

"15 seconds…"

"NO! It's got to be here!" I was on all fours, groping around wildly. I was coughing as smoke begun to fill the room.

"It's too late Dracia!" Mirage insisted. "Go while you can!"

"Can't…hargh! Give…up…" I coughed. "I'll never forgive myself if I let you…"

"10 seconds…"

"Dracia, for god's sake! Please go! I don't want you to die too!"

"9 seconds…"

"Mirage…" I staggered.

"Go dammit!"

"No!"

"8 seconds…"

"Go, or I'll make you!"

"Mirage!"

"7 seconds…"

Furiously, she fired off a Fire Blast, throwing me backwards, closer to the door.

"6 seconds…"

"Mirage!"

"Goodbye Dracia." Mirage whispered softly.

With a roar of fury, I ran. I don't know what made me do that. But somehow, I found a window at the side of the adjoining room.

"5…4…"

I smashed it open and turned back. I could still see Mirage through the open door. But not for much longer…

"…3…2…"

As I finally forced myself to jump, Mirage smiled at me. I couldn't have imagined what had been going through her mind.

Her smile…that image…would forever remain in my mind.

"…1…0…Thank you and have a nice day."

That was the last thing I heard before the explosion drowned out my entire world.

* * *

**Firestorm **

"….Thank you and have a nice day."

Damn, they had a really sick sense of humor. Luckily, I managed to haul Jade and toss him out the window, barely having time to make it myself.

The explosion deafened me for those few moments. Its force threw both of us quite a distance into the forest. Branches and twigs snapped as two Charizard smashed through them, spinning uncontrollably.

I wasn't out for long, but when I got up, I saw the dark forest glowing with the crimson-like glow of the fire. The building, whatever it had been, was no more.

Various pieces of debris had been thrown even to this distance and Jade was pulling himself out of a pile of concrete chunks.

"You OK?" I asked.

Jade nodded, through he was clearly still dazed. Suddenly, his head snapped up.

"Watch out!" He roared, ramming into me.

I hadn't noticed the tree behind me had been shaken by the explosion and was on the verge of collapsing. To add to that, it was a huge and very thick oak tree too.

And all that went down onto Jade's head as he took the blow for me.

"Jade!"

I pulled him out from beneath the fallen log and shook him, trying to get him to wake up.

"Come on! Come on!" Finally, I stepped back and charged up my flames into my mouth, hoping to arouse him with a fiery burst.

"Ugh…" He moaned, opening his eyes.

Too late, I gave him a good torching.

"Ow! Hey Storm! What the heck are you doing?!" He roared furiously. Jade's head turned as he looked around. "Hey…where is here anyway? What happened? Did we get Alugard?"

I stared at him, mouth opened. That phrase was something I'd never been so relieved to hear.

"Jade! You're back to normal!" I cried happily.

"Excuse me, normal?!" Jade said, slightly confused. "I'm a human stuck in a Charizard's body! That wouldn't qualify for normal in my book…"

"WOOOOOHHHOOOOOOOOO !! YOU'RE FINALLY BACK!!" I roared, leaping onto him, shoving Jade to the ground and licking his face.

"Back from what?" Jade frowned.

However, I was too excited to answer.

"Hey! Get off already!" Jade heaved up and threw me off, climbing to his feet. "What's with you? I don't know what's going on, but I…"

At that moment, Serac came running up behind Jade. She put her finger to her lips and I was unsure of why until she revealed the metal bar from behind her back.

In horror, I realized it must've looked like we were fighting to her. And she was doing the only logical thing.

"NO! Don't…" I began.

WHAM!

The bar bent at an angle after Serac slammed the back of Jade's head with it. Jade's eyes went wide before he collapsed again.

"Serac!" I screamed. "What the blazes was that for?! We weren't fighting if that's what you were thinking!"

"Even if that were so," Serac winked. "I was thinking about how Jade lost his memory when he got the rock smacked on his head. So, I concluded that another hard whack would snap him back to normal. It may sound odd, but I think it'll work."

"Yeah, I know it will." I muttered. "Cause it already happened before you came butting in and smacked the poor sap again!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know!" She protested.

"You could've told me!" I yelled.

"If I'd told you, then he would've heard as well!"

Both of us were so busy arguing that we didn't notice Jade standing up until we heard his growling.

"Rrrrggggrrrrhhhhhh…."

"Eep!"

"Yikes!"

Serac and I cringed, backing away as Jade gave us a nasty stare.

"Not again!" I moaned. "Jade! Try and remember!"

"Owwwww! GGgaarrgghhh! Goddammit! Why does everyone have a grudge against me today?!" He roared. "Dammit Storm! Explain to me what the hell is going on right now!"

"He's still normal." Serac realized.

I breathed a long sigh of relief as Serac and I collapsed.

"Hey, did I do something wrong?" Jade wondered. "But how many times do I have to ask what's going on?"

"You really don't remember?" I asked from my spot on the floor.

"Remember what?" Jade asked, confused. "And who's the girl?"

"This is going to be a long story." I sighed.

"Hey guys!" Nala called, jogging towards us.

She was accompanied by Ivysaur, Jolteon and an Aerodactyl, the latter three supporting Nightslice (in Scyther form) between them.

"Wait up!" A blue haired girl came up behind them.

"Is this everyone?" Serac asked.

"Wait! Dracia and Mirage aren't here yet!" I realized.

As if on cue, a badly charred Dragonite shoved her way through the trees and hit the ground near our group.

"Dracia!" I ran over and pulled her to her feet. "Are you all right? Where's Mirage?"

"I'll…live." Dracia gasped. "But Mirage…she…I…I…I…"

The female Dragonite couldn't get it out and I begun to fear the worse.

"Dracia, where's Mirage?!" I demanded, grapping both her shoulders with my claws.

"I…I…couldn't…she…" Dracia immediately broke out in tears. "I'm…I'm…sorry…"

"No…" I realized. "Sorry's not good enough Dracia! Why! How could you let her die!!"

"I…I…"

"Firestorm, stop it now!" Serac ordered. Together with Nala and the Aerodactyl, they shoved us apart. "Stop it now. What's done is done. Right now, we have to get away from here and find someplace a little safer."

* * *

**Swordia**

"Whew…will you…slow down?" Alugard's voice came from behind. "The base blew up already! There's no need to run!"

I ignored him and just kept at it. I just needed to drive that scene out of my head somehow. Finally, my legs gave way and I hit the ground.

"You all right?" Alugard asked, offering a claw to help me.

I stared off into empty space, unwilling to answer.

"If it's about Nightslice, you're the one who wanted to help him. Luckily I managed to cut him out in time, or he would've lost his head."

I nodded, only half listening.

"That IS still bothering you." He pushed.

"It's just that…" I said softly. "That he recognized me. I didn't want him to see me like this."

"Why? You could've just gone back with him."

"Not now." I growled. "I don't want him to get involved in this. Not until I utterly destroy Sliph! And Team Rocket too!"

I roared, slashing nearby tree down.

"Guess you read the part about the virus too." Alugard realized. "You starting to understand my point of view now?"

"Completely." I nodded. "I see why you acted as you did when we met in the past. But I still disagree on you attempting to wipe out all humanity."

"That was an error of the past." The Scizor admitted. "One that will not be made again. But back on the current topic, you would've made it easier if you had managed downloaded the file."

"I apologize for that. It won't happen again."

When I'd run off after seeing Nightslice on the monitor, I'd left the downloading device behind, carrying out its job. By chance, I met up with Alugard a couple of levels below. I'd asked him for help and we arrived at the metal works factory just in time to save my half brother from his ridiculous predicament, and from having his head cut off.

There had been a sword lying around and I'd grabbed it in my jaws and tossed it into the blades while Alugard cut Nightslice free.

Alugard had fled immediately after, but I'd hesitated. Enough for a long stare at someone I'd lost in seemingly another lifetime. That was when the fury hit me. I didn't want to talk to him and I couldn't stop running even outside when Alugard realized I didn't have his downloading device.

After that, it had just been running and running.

There was a blue flash of light as two shapes materialized beside us.

"Ow! Hey!" Scantrix moaned as Syndrea landed on top of him.

(Sorry, not used to teleporting yet. ) The Mewtwo apologized, standing up.

"Glad you two are all right." Alugard said.

"Oh, by the way, I think you'll be happy to see this." Scantrix reached his beak beneath his wing and whipped out the rectangular data capturing device.

"You're such a piece of work my friend." Alugard laughed, taking it in one of his pincers. "I'll look through it and see what I can find."

"Unfortunately, those Sliph Special Forces got away." Scantrix continued. "Their leader is some Jubei fellow."

(Just the mercenary SFs now. No longer do they belong to Sliph. ) Syndrea's telepathic voice came up suddenly. (Their leader's greed has made him over ambitious. )

"How do you know that?" Scantrix asked.

"From what I've heard, she's probably now one of the most powerful psychics on the planet." I told them. "I wouldn't be surprised if Syndrea could sense everything going on in the building just now."

(The currents of magic are in upheaval. ) She nodded in approval. (Something is coming, blocked to even my mind. Something that will involve not only that human, but us as well. )

"This is all very intriguing, but if you'd excuse me, I have to go arrange for our troops to be on the lookout for the SFs." Alugard interrupted, taking a slight bow before leaving. "I'm sure Stormwind and Firefly will be happy to have something to do."

"Just what DO you see anyway Syndrea?" I asked, turning towards the Mewtwo.

(I see dead people. ) She replied solemnly before walking away as well.

"Huh?" I muttered, completely baffled.

"Very mysterious, isn't she?" Scantrix hopped over beside me.

"Yeah." I muttered.

"Well, since it looks like we'll be free for a while, you want to take a short flight?" The Skarmory asked.

"No harm in it I guess." I nodded, spreading my wings.

In silence, I flew behind Scantrix as he led me to a small hill. Unlike the rest of the forest, it wasn't covered it trees, allowing us to clearly see the morning sun rising over the horizon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He commented.

"Every time I see it, I remember…" I realized I was speaking out loud and stopped myself. "Nevermind. It's nothing."

"Swordia, can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you love me?"

"What?" I gasped, staring towards him.

"I said 'do you love me'." He leaned forward.

"Scantrix, you shouldn't be asking me this…" I muttered.

"Swordia, it's a simple question..."

We'd been getting closer all the time. Finally, our snouts met, and we nuzzled each other.

It was a moment I never wanted to end.

* * *

**Nightslice**

As the morning sun rose, the scene was camp was a truly bittersweet one. There had been so many stories exchanged, new faces to meet and old ones who'd left.

I'd been dealing with my own inner demons. Alugard had been there, and so had Kris. My father and 'half-sister'…working together? I didn't know for certain, but I tried my best not to think about it.

Firestorm sitting next to Jade at the fire, probably still telling Jade his tale. I still found it odd seeing Jade was the Charizard and Storm was in human form. Fortunately, someone had an extra shirt to replace the one Storm tore in our battle. As if on cue, a strong gust of wind blew the fire down. Storm promptly grabbed Jade's flaming Charizard tail and used it to relight the flame.

Jade gave him a nasty stare, but Storm replied with something about 'getting back'.

The rest of the group (all the Pokemon and the humans) was currently listening to Nala and Riot's story. I walked over and joined them, crossing my legs and resting my bladed claws on the ground.

However, Dracia was in an utter state of depression, lying off at the edge of camp on her stomach. I felt like trying to comfort her, but I hadn't been around the Dragonite very much at all. Firestorm was apparently still mad and keeping himself occupied was his way of also trying to keep his cool.

Instinctively, I nudged the closest person to me, Serac, and gestured towards Dracia with my snout. The blond haired woman nodded and stood up, walking over to depressed Dracia.

"Excuse me, what do you meant I have your blood in me?" Nala was asking.

"It's exactly as I've said it." Riot, the Aerodactyl, answered. "Well, perhaps not directly, but I can feel it."

"I think she means her DNA." Hazuki suggested. "Having part Pokemon DNA is what makes you a Chimera. I was one from birth, but…"

"I just got it shot into me." Nala finished, rubbing her arm. "Maybe that's why they were jabbing those needles into me."

"This is all truly intriguing." Riot spoke. "I do believe what they did to you was simply a test of implementing the Chimera process on an already living subject."

Everyone stared, mouthed opened.

"If you're an ancient Pokemon who's been dead for a few million years and who was revived from a fossil, exactly how do you know all this?" Nala staggered.

"Hmmm…I'm not sure really." Riot thought hard. "I just…seem to know all this, but as hard as I try, I can't recall any memories of my past…"

"Perhaps her brain had been modified as well." Kyle thought, who as out of the Pokeball and lying on the grass. "Some sort of computer enhancement perhaps?"

"It's a thought." Hazuki nodded.

"One thing I'm confused about through," I added in. "why would the enemy seemingly instill as advantage upon us? I mean, it's more difficult to fight a group of Chimeras than to just fight a group of humans."

The conversation had caught Firestorm and Jade's interest as well and they came over.

"You know," Storm recalled. "back in the building, I heard the SF leader say they'd taken blood samples from the group of us. Namely Serac, Hazuki and myself. And provided Riot is correct, they used Nala to test out implementing process on a living subject."

"What are you getting at Storm?" I asked with interest.

"He's got something planned out, something that required not only several DNA samples, but needed to be tested as well."

"Could it be about that virus thing?" Hazuki wondered out loud. "The project V-X?"

"How'd you know about that kid?" Storm asked.

"The purple cat told me…oh! I wasn't supposed to tell anyone!"

"Purple cat?" Luminair muttered.

"A Pokemon?" Ahsura queried.

"See, I met her just after the two of you left." Hazuki explained, standing up. "Well, it was really weird. We were just staring at each other, and then she came over and touched my forehead. I was actually too frightened to move, but she didn't hurt me or anything. She said that I'd best keep our meeting a secret and left. Then, I just get this bunch of information in my mind."

"It sounds like a psychic or something." Kyle noted.

"You know what a Mew looks like?" Jade asked. "Was that it?"

"No, she was taller than me." Hazuki replied. "It definitely wasn't Mew. But I remember she gave me some really important information about the virus being able to affect Chime…urgh…"

"Hazuki?!" I gasped as she toppled over. I caught her using the flat sides of my blades, being extra careful not to cut her, and laid her down on the grass.

"Is a human supposed to feel this warm?" Storm asked, putting his hand to Hazuki's forehead over.

Serac came running over as Nala stepped up to take Storm's place.

"God, she's burning up!" Nala whispered, shocked.

"What could've caused this?" Serac wondered.

"The virus we were talking about?" Jade suggested. "But that would mean…"

"Goddammit!" I shouted, arousing stares from everyone.

"Nightslice?" Luminair asked.

"Any scientist knows he need to field test a product to ensure its working." I growled. "And Hazuki's the…"

"There's no end to this inhumanity, is there?" Serac muttered. "But if she's infected, then are the rest of us…"

"Don't worry, the virus isn't transferable through airborne means…yet." Hazuki said from her lying position on the floor. "I'm OK for now. It'll take a while before I'm down…"

"But why make a virus to kill Chimeras?" Nala asked. "I'm sure it wasn't for the express purpose of taking care of us."

"No, it goes further than that." I said. "I feel it has something to do with the rivalry between Team Rocket and Sliph."

"You kill all the rest of the Chimeras, and if you have only ones left, you can easily sell yours to the highest bidder. They'll pay millions, or more." Jade thought. "That's what I think, at least."

"Who's stupid enough to do that?" Storm roared.

"You'll be surprised at what people can do." I said, shaking my head. "But now, our course of action is clear."

Everyone gave me their full attention as I spoke.

"Jubei and his SFs will definitely have some antivirus. We'll need to get it from them." I glanced over to Hazuki. "Then, for the sake of us all, we kill every single one of those bastards."

"Since when do the good guys do that?" Kyle muttered.

"I'm in for it." Dracia growled, walking over, speaking for the first time in hours. "Kill every one of them! And make sure they suffer!"

"Dracia…" Serac whispered.

The Dragonite smashed her claws together and cracked her knuckles. There was something very different about the tone of her voice too. Gone was the gentle, humorous voice I remembered.

"Aren't you chaps forgetting something?" Riot asked. "We need to find them first."

"I think someone already has." I grinned, pointing my head up and alerting everyone to a soft beating of wings.

"A Crobat?" Ahsura said, looking up.

"Koga was kind enough to lend him to me to aid in searching for you." A familiar voice spoke with an ever calm tone. "Even a psychic like me can't exert her powers to much trying to do that."

"Sabrina!" Storm gasped as the Gym leader stepped into view. "You heard everything?"

"Indeed." She nodded. "I've been in touch with Koga and Blaine. We've done some recon work of our own, but we've pretty much ended up with the same information you've already concluded."

"Uncle Blaine?" Jade muttered.

"You did mention me to him when you told your story, Jade." The psychic replied. "Which reminds me…"

She tossed a couple of Pokeballs, releasing an Electabuzz and a Blastoise.

"Hey, Ehrgeiz!" Firestorm gasped, recognizing his old comrade.

"Yo!" The Electabuzz waved.

"It's you! Wartortle, old buddy!" Ahsura said happily.

"Yeah, I evolved. Cool huh? By the way, they named me Azure." Azure, the Blastoise laughed. "Nice to see you again."

"My fellow gym leaders send their regards too." Sabrina continued. "But I'm afraid you'll need to have your group reunion later. When you're ready, I'll mass teleport you to where you need to be."

I'd pretty much been promoted to the leader of this group. I stepped forward and looked over my friends.

Storm and Jade, looking firm and resolved. Hazuki, on her feet, but being supported by Kyle. Next to them, Serac and Dracia. Nala and Riot, new partners, but definitely reliable ones. Luminair and Ahsura, Ehrgeiz and Azure…all awaiting orders.

"Let's end this." I declared.

* * *

_Indeed, I knew it. The end was near… _


	17. Point Break

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Point Break **

By nightdragon0

**Firestorm **

"Hey, where are we going anyway?" I cut in.

"Even I am not certain." Sabrina answered. "I can only say that I felt a tremendous burst of psychic energy. A dark power will soon arise."

"And you feel that's most likely where the Jubei's SFs will go?" Serac asked.

Sabrina nodded.

"Dark power?" Nightslice wondered, staring at the ground, lost in thought.

"You know, there was this rumor back at my Rocket base in Blackthorn about something being excavated nearby." Nala said, tapping her head.

"Any more details?" I asked.

"Well, some workers from the excavation site sometimes came down, and that's how the rumors came about." She explained. "I only heard something about a 'great discovery from ages past', but that's all."

"Let's go there and see for ourselves." Nightslice said, giving a brief look over to Hazuki. "Sabrina, are you ready?"

"I am." The psychic nodded. "However, I won't be able to come with you. The strain of exerting my powers on a group this big would be far too exhausting."

"But, what's going to happen to you after we're gone?" I asked, concerned.

"Don't worry, I'll make it back to Saffron all right. I do have Pokemon, you know." She assured. "It's you I'm worried about."

"We'll pull together, somehow." Nightslice grinned. "We always have. But with support from people like you."

"I wish you the best of luck." Sabrina spoke, raising her hands. "Clear your minds and thoughts. Gather round and concentrate on me."

Our group of humans and Pokemon did as she requested. Even as I closed my eyes, I felt what could be best described as a 'lifting feeling', like we were beginning to float. I tried my best to remain calm and not disrupt her.

And all of a sudden, we were moving. Really fast.

* * *

**Swordia**

"It was just here?" I asked, staring up at the facility on top of the mountain. It was a Rocket base at Mount Mortar, one that was still fairly newly set up. Considering it was relatively close to the area of our previous encounter, it was no wonder the scouts had found them in just 3 hours.

"Yes." Alugard nodded, whilst staring up at the building. The visor on his helmet had a built in binoculars "Stormwind spotted the SFs lurking around the area. They might be trying to infiltrate the base."

"For what reason?" Scantrix wondered. "First they make enemies of their former employers, then the want to go charging into another enemy's headquarters? It doesn't make any sense."

"Not unless you're sure there's something in there that will assure you a victory." Alugard concluded.

(A great power lurks within. ) Syndrea interrupted, stepping up beside us.

"Indeed, I was about to mention that I sensed it too." Alugard continued. "It's odd that I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, but for now, we'll bide our time and see if the SFs make a move first…oh wait! Scratch that!"

Alugard tapped the side of his helmet, his com-link.

"Stormwind? Firefly? What is it?" He asked.

"Not good boss!" Stormwind, the Fearow, reported. "They're here in the labs! And they're going to release the virus!"

"The virus?! Hey, where are you two anyway? I gave you strict orders to stay outside the facility!"

"Bro! They've seen us!" Firefly, the Pidgeot, yelled.

"Damn it!"

The com-link carried over the sounds of gunfire.

"Stormwind! Firefly!" Alugard yelled.

There were loud screeching sounds, and then the com-link hissed and went dead.

"RRRRAarrgghhh!" Alugard furiously smashed his pincers into a nearby tree, tearing it in two.

I felt a prang of sadness as I realized that had happened. I mostly remembered the two birds as the enemies I'd encountered in the past. In my time with Alugard, I'd hardly even spoken to them.

"The virus…" Scantrix muttered.

"The one, for the Chimeras right?" I asked.

"Not only for them, but practically all breeds of Pokemon as well." Scantrix repeated what Alugard had discovered from the data we'd retrieved in the previous mission. "If they kill Team Rocket's Pokemon as well, it'll give them an advantage. However, their plans stated about spreading the virus through the air…"

"Then, we'd be in trouble." I muttered, even through that was an understatement.

"Certain rooms inside of this facility have an auto filtering system to protect it against such bio-contaminants." Scantrix informed us. "We will be able to approach the labs safely. However, what we will need to worry about is the virus getting out, into the air."

"I've already gotten absolutely everyone down for this one." Alugard grimaced, pushing the thoughts of his friends aside. The time for mourning would be later. "All our troops."

I turned towards him, not having expected such a drastic decision from the calm and calculated leader.

"You feel it, don't you?" He continued. "Judgment. It's time to stand, or fall together."

I nodded. Whatever it was, I had a job to do. And this one was saving possibly hundreds of Pokemon lives from a madman.

"Stick around me, OK?" Scantrix whispered.

"I can look after myself." I retorted. "You don't have to treat me like a little girl."

"Haha, same as always." He shook his head, smiling.

Was it just me, or did he seem a little different? Alugard did have a private conversation with him earlier, but that was it.

"Hey, cut the chatter you two." Alugard said sternly, interrupting my thoughts. "We'll spring into action as soon as the troops in position."

"Roger that." I growled.

I felt the hunger growing in my beast side. The hunger for battle…

* * *

**Dracia**

As I opened my eyes again, I found Serac standing over me, clutching the sword Nightslice had given to her.

"You all right?" She asked.

I simply gave a slight nod and stood up.

Firestorm was back in his Charizard form. He and Nightslice were gathered with the rest of the group and pointing upwards.

Only now I took note of my new surroundings. It was a mountainous dirt path with few trees around. A Lapras, Kyle, was waiting in the river that ran through the area, towards the hill. At the top of the hill, where the others were pointing to, stood another huge facility.

I snarled in anger, still unable to get the past scene out of my mind.

"Dracia?" Serac touched my arm. "It wasn't your fault."

I guess my expression must've been easy enough to read. However, I turned away and remained silent.

"You think it'll work?" I heard Firestorm asking.

"I don't know." Nightslice muttered. "All I know is, I've got to get a vaccine, for Hazuki's sake."

"Hey, don't go all out for me." Hazuki said.

"I have to." The Scyther shook his head. "I'm not breaking this promise."

KA-BOOM!

All heads snapped up towards the sound. An explosion had blown out part of the facility's northern wall.

"It's as we thought." Jade growled. "Jubei's group is trying to take over this Rocket facility for their own use."

"Rocket facility?"

I must've said it out loud, because Serac responded.

"The others were watching the area before you came to. And they spotted a bunch of the Rocket agents around. Looks like they aren't too concerned with hiding in an isolated place like this."

"Then, we've got no time to waste." Nightslice growled. "Let's get on with this!"

"You have any course of action in mind?" Firestorm asked him.

"Yeah. You take Jade, Dracia, Serac, Luminair, Ehrgeiz and go in through the right direction. I'll take the others and go in the left."

"That's it?" Riot, the Aerodactyl, muttered.

"Hey, I'm getting to that." The Scyther insisted. "Storm, your group has the job to hunt down our nemesis, and basically deal with the Rockets and the SFs. If he has the anti-virus, get it from him. My party will find the labs, where he could've also stored some form of a vaccine. I'll get it if its there."

"Sounds like a plan." Storm nodded.

"Oh, Kyle, you're staying out here." Nightslice added in.

"WHAT?!" The Lapras protested. "NO way I'm…"

"Kyle, I need you to stay and look after Hazuki. She's in no condition to be charging into things."

"But…" Now it was Hazuki's turn to protest.

"No buts." Nightslice growled. "Besides, I don't think Kyle will have an easy time inside without any bodies of water around."

"Guess you have a point." Kyle reluctantly admitted.

"OK Dragon Riders! Let's roar!" Nightslice commanded.

Everyone sprinted or flew towards their respective sides. I hesitated and stood silent for a while, before finally pushing myself to join them by spreading my wings and taking off.

"Dracia…" Storm pulled back and hovered beside me. "I…I have to tell you something."

"What?" I growled, not at all in a talking mood.

"Dracia, I…I'm…I'm sorry for getting mad at you just now." The Charizard spluttered. "I wasn't in a very good state of mind myself and I…"

"Don't bother apologizing. It's already over and done with." I cut in. "Right now, I'm going to walk in there and kill the bastard myself, with or without anyone's help."

"I won't stop you Dracia." He whispered. "But…I'm not going to lose you too."

"You already have." I said that right to his face, before flying ahead.

I dashed past Serac, Luminair, Jade and Ehrgeiz on the ground and blew open the nearest wall with my Aeroblast.

Inside, a pair of Rockets spun around in surprise.

Roaring, I attacked, smashing one into a wall and shocking the other with a Thunderbolt. The body of his electrocuted comrade had barely hit the floor before on was onto the man climbing to his feet. I grasped his neck with both hands and violently smashed his head and neck into the wall.

The others stared, not only at me, but at the bloody mark on the wall.

"Are you coming or not?!" I demanded.

"Wait up!" Serac was the only one who ran forward, pausing only to grab one of the dead guard's guns, and clambered onto my back.

Without enough space to fly, I took off running, not waiting for anyone else to respond.

* * *

**Nala**

"Now!" Nightslice ordered.

At his command, Azure and Ahsura let off their respective Ice and Solar beam techniques. Not at the enemy, but Nightslice instead.

The energy of the beams wrapped around the Scyther's blades as his eyes flashed purple. He was adding his Confuse Ray to the mix. Of course, all this happened in the blink of an eye.

"Desolation Claw!" He roared, swinging his blades.

A black burst of energy hit the ground, exploding into a dark wave. The party of Rockets he'd fired at fell and stumbled about, screaming, rolling in pain or holding their heads in agony.

"Hurry!" He yelled.

We dashed past the stunned group and Riot smashed the door open. I stepped in first, into a dark, gray corridor. Similar to those in pretty much every one of their bases/labs.

Only thing now was that the area will filled with screams, gun fire, explosions, Pokemon cries and others various battlefield noises.

"Nala, which way would the labs be?" Nightslice queried.

"I don't know, I haven't actually been here!"

"You know a Rocket base in general, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Lemmie think…this is the West wing…so it should be…this way!" I pointed north.

I pair of soldiers came running around the corridor. I didn't know whether they belonged to the Rockets or the SFs, but I think nobody cared either way.

"Watch out!" Azure lowered his cannons and sent them flying off with a burst of water.

"We've got to hurry chaps!" Riot yelled over the background noises.

There was a roar as a huge Rhydon came charging towards us.

"Not good!" Ahsura cried, firing off some Razor leafs, which failed to do anything more than annoy the huge beast.

"He's mine!" Azure met the Rock-type head on, shoving back with all the weight of his massive Blastoise bulk.

"Better go on first!" Ahsura told us. "We'll catch up!"

"Don't worry, we'll be OK." Azure grunted, in the midst of his struggle.

"Be careful you two." Nightslice nodded, concerned.

"Here! This way!" I waved, taking the lead as I dashed through the corridor.

There wasn't much that got in our way which gave Nightslice and Riot much trouble. I stepped over a dazed Poliwhirl and indicated a point where the color of the corridor changed.

"I think this is it!" I gasped, reading the sign above the entrance. It had the usual bit about authorized personnel only and such.

"Great work Nala." Nightslice panted, exhausted from taking down so many enemy Pokemon.

"It was lucky this base's layout was so similar to the one I worked in." I replied. "But…"

"Watch out!" Riot suddenly rammed me from behind.

I didn't have time to ask why through. An explosion detonated the spot I'd been standing on moments ago. As I hit the ground, I saw Nightslice leaping over to the lab's entrance.

The explosion also had the effect of sending a large amount of debris down, sealing off the corridor, thus separating us from Nightslice. I looked up to see a ferocious looking Gyarados towering over us.

Riot attacked and was promptly smacked away by a swipe of its huge tail.

"Ow…Oh, what pretty stars…"

"Riot! This is no time to…Eeep!" I backed away as the huge beast approached.

"Excuse me, may I have this dance?" Luminair appeared from behind the Gyarados, leaping gracefully up onto its head.

The Jolteon gave an evil grin as sparks flew from his body. Even the Gyarados looked panicked that moment before Luminair shocked him into submission.

"We owe you man." I sighed in relief. "But weren't you supposed to be with the others?"

"I was close by and it seemed like you needed help." The Jolteon barked.

"Hey! Everyone!" Azure and Ahsura came running round the corner. They looked a little bruised, but otherwise all right. Riot was shaking herself back to her senses.

"Did Nightslice make it in?" Riot asked, pointing her snout to the blocked off corridor leading to the labs.

"I think he did. But we've got to find another way in." I replied. "Come on!"

* * *

**Kyle **

"Damn! It's killing me just sitting here and waiting for the end." I cursed, swimming round in circles. "I just had to be a Larpas! There's no way for me to…"

"Ugh, Kyle?"

"Hazuki, just rest all right? You're not well."

"The others…" She muttered, climbing to a standing position on my back. "They'll need help."

"They told me to stay and look after you. And that's what I'm gonna do."

"Well, I'm going in the help them, so if you want to look after me, you have to follow." She grinned.

"This is why I like you Hazuki." I sighed. "But how do you propose I get in?"

"Well, they must have water in the base right?" She suggested. "And the water has to come from somewhere."

"This river?"

"Bingo." She winked.

I glanced up ahead. The river seemed to run right into the base of the hill the base was located on. But perhaps there was an underground channel of some sort.

"All right. Hang on tight." I told her. "We're going in and we're going full throttle. That outta keep those fighters off our tail!"

* * *

**Jade**

"Shit! This is getting us nowhere fast!" I growled, slashing away at the pair of Tangela attempting to block our path.

"Just keep at it!" Firestorm roared, throwing his flames about wildly. "We'll make it."

Ehrgeiz growled as he shocked a soldier that came running round the bend.

Dracia had been going at such an accelerated pace that we'd lost track of Serac and her. Being smaller and faster, Luminair had run off to look for them while we'd been caught up in the middle of the melee. It was literally a mass of the Rocket agents, some SFs and more Pokemon.

"We clear?" Firestorm panted, slamming the last Ampharos into a wall.

"So, you're here at last." A soldier stepped out, brandishing a large rifle. "It's true then, what they say about you being able to turn into a Charizard."

"Take cover!" Firestorm ordered.

There was a T-junction and the three of us jumped round it as his rifle bullets decorated the wall with holes.

"Storm, this guy seems rather familiar." I muttered.

"I do think we've met before." The soldier laughed. "I piloted the helicopter back in the Charizard's Valley. Name's Dylin, sub-commander of the SFs."

"F#&# you!" Storm shouted.

"I take it as you do remember. Well, I've got another surprise for you." Dylin pulled out a control and pushed a button on it.

There were several loud metallic footsteps as a huge machine stepped into view. It was a silver, humanoid robot with 2 glowing red eyes.

"I'll be back." Its mechanical voice spoke.

"You're kidding, right?" Ehrgeiz moaned.

"Where'd he get the copyrights to that?" I wondered.

"Crap, where's a Chaff grenade when you need one?" Firestorm muttered.

There was a metallic hiss as a section on its chest opened, revealing a huge Gattling Gun.

"OH CRAP!" Everyone yelled as we dove for cover.

* * *

**Riot **

"Whew, I think we'll be safe here for a while." I panted, slamming my back against the closed door.

"Yeah, didn't help that you ran us round the same corridor three times." Luminair added in.

"Well, how was I supposed to know it was a circular one?!" Nala protested.

We'd made it to an empty room, which was just a straight corridor was a door at either end. What surprised me was the long series of glass windows along the entire stretch of one side of the wall.

Out of curiosity, I hopped over and peered through.

"Look at this!" I called.

"It's the lab all right." Ahsura muttered.

The others joined me in looking down into a huge, but empty laboratory. Actually, devoid of life might have been a better term, considering the dead human bodies that were lying about. It was filled with all sorts of strange machines and computers. A huge generator was located further behind.

However, what caught our interest were large containers with the 'biological hazard' symbol on them.

"Those things missiles or something?" Azure wondered.

"Oh my god!" Nala exclaimed, getting stares from everyone. "The virus must be in those missiles. But if they start firing those things around, then it'll…"

"Well, let's hurry!" Luminair growled.

Everyone dashed towards the other door. I was about to go too when I caught sight of something.

"Nala! Look down there!"

"What is it?" My partner jogged to my side.

There was one moving thing in the lab below. We just hadn't seen him because he was as silver as the machines around.

"A Skarmory?" I wondered.

"Could it be? That Skarmory?" Nala whispered, clutching the fox-shaped pendant around her neck.

He was flying around the lab, pushing buttons with his beak and checking the computers. He looked almost like a lab technician doing that. A light flashed, behind him and he turned around to collect a small cylinder about the size of a human hand.

The steel bird grabbed it in his mouth and stuffed it beneath his wing.

He went back to his computer, but came up with an utterly startled expression on his face as he looked at the screen. He begun furiously jabbing the buttons with the edges of his wings and shook his head. His mouth moved, but it was impossible to hear what he was saying.

Finally, he flew towards a pair of double doors that served as the main entrance.

"Let's hurry!" Nala raised her foot and kicked the glass window to pieces. "I just have to know."

Nodding, I spread my wings and allowed her to climb onto my back.

* * *

**Nightslice**

"Dammit!" I cursed, staring at the sealed off passageway.

There was no way back, nor any way to get help from my allies. Only thing to do was go forward. However, I got the sinking feeling that something wasn't right. The only corridor led straight and curved to the right.

As I stepped round the bend, I came face to face with a figure I'd both longed for, yet dreaded to see.

"Nice to see you again, Nightslice. Or perhaps I should be calling you brother."

"Kris…" I staggered, seeing through the seemingly normal Scyther in front of me. Still, I felt a great difference in her voice. Something I couldn't really identify.

"Lots has changed, hasn't it?"

"Kris…" I looked up and noticed the closed double doors behind her. It read 'Main Laboratory'.

"Yes, that is the lab if you were looking for it." Kris indicated with her head. "Came about the virus?"

"The virus…" I muttered.

"The one Sliph designed to affect both their Chimeras, and the Pokemon with them." She continued. "And now, the SFs have gotten hold of it. It's been engineered to become airborne and they plan to launch off a bunch of canisters containing the virus. Think of it as a nuke without the explosion, but the side effects."

"But that…that's gonna kill hundreds of Pokemon." I gasped.

"This is why we've set something up to counter that. We've done some tweaking with the computer systems so that the generator here will blow up before the canisters can be launched. The explosion would generate a degree of radiation lethal to the viral components."

"I need to get in the lab. I need an antidote." I growled.

"I do know this place has the technology to synthesize one. But that would involve the computers, all of which are currently occupied with the self-destruction program."

"A friend of mine is infected! And I need that vaccine to cure her!"

"The blue haired girl?" Kris snarled. "The one I saw you with?"

I nodded silently, not wanting to know how Kris knew.

"You'll mess up the computer systems if you try to synthesize the antidote. And that'll lead to the release of the virus." She sternly replied.

"What are you getting at?!" I demanded, growing impatient.

"I'm sorry about your friend, but its still one life versus hundreds. I'd say it's a worthy sacrifice."

Those words were like an icy cold dagger through my heart.

"Alugard…What's Alugard done to you?!"

"He had nothing to do with what I did to myself! You don't know what I've been through!" She screamed furiously. "I wasn't enjoying myself like you were!"

Perhaps it was the combination of all the emotions, fury and anger that had been building up within my heart. Perhaps the stress just caused me to lose control. But it didn't help what I roared out next.

"Kris, get out of my way now! Or I'll force you to!"

"You'll have to make me." Kris replied, stepping into a fighting stance.

Only as I mirrored her stance, I truly realized what I'd just initiated.

* * *

_All of us have something deep inside that truly frightens us. And for me, this was my greatest fear… _


	18. Hearts Alike

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Hearts Alike **

By nightdragon0

**Swordia**

_Why? _I asked myself. _Why did he have to be so stubborn? _

But there was no turning back now. The challenge had been made. Mixed emotions filled my soul, all of which were drowned away as the battle begun.

The first clashes of our claws were equally matched, one for the other. Almost like wielding a pair of swords as we danced about. Our claws locked against each other, and we stared into each other's faces. Of course, snarling; it was our job not to show an opponent any signs of weakness.

I shoved forward, causing Nightslice to retreat slightly. It was all the space I needed to angle my body and send a two footed kick into his face.

Turning his fall into a backwards roll, he quickly got to his feet and lashed out with his blades. I somersaulted over the attack, and met his spinning maneuver at my moment of landing.

Our claws locked again as we shoved against each other. Nightslice wouldn't make the same mistake again. We were literally head to head, glaring into each other's eyes as Nightslice abruptly twisted his body, sending me spinning to the ground.

I pulled myself up, using the wall for support, just as he sprang upon me. We were now fighting horizontally to the double doors.

Knocked onto my back, I guarded against his claws with my own, and shoved him away with my feet. Nightslice staggered backwards, only to come charging forward again.

An attack I met with both equal force, and the same maneuver.

The world became a wild blur of leaps, dodges, guards and slashing blades. I didn't know if I was using any specific attacks. All I did know was those few moments were the most intense battle I'd ever faced.

Finally, we pulled apart and prepared for a final strike. I was panting wildly, exhausted and dizzy from the intensity.

Holding my claw out like a sword, I charged. Nightslice got exactly the same idea.

That was when the door opened and Scantrix stepped through. He caught onto the situation the moment he saw us.

"STOP!" He screamed, throwing himself between the two of us.

However, the force of motion allowed neither of us to do that. Even the Skarmory's steel-like feathers didn't protect him from the blades of two Scyther.

Scantrix's roared in pain. It shocked Nightslice and me to such a degree that we just stood there and let his body hit the floor.

"Please stop…" He begged weakly. "The two of you…shouldn't be fighting…"

"Scantrix…why?" I asked, kneeling down. The two wounds on his chest were bleeding badly. And they didn't look good at all.

"The virus…it doesn't affect normal Pokemon at all. Only…the Chimeras."

"What? But then…"

"Alugard…no, I lied to you." He said softly. "I lied because Alugard wanted me to. It was the only way…he could get you…to go against Nightslice…"

"Scantrix…"

"Damned Alugard!" Nightslice cursed. "He must've known Hazuki was infected. And he knew that I would stop at nothing to get a cure for it. But how?"

"Information he stole from the previous base." Scantrix answered. "He's been a step ahead of all of us all this while."

"Then I…I…" I couldn't manage to finish my sentence.

"You didn't see it, did you?" His voice was weaker now. "How you were slowly being corrupted? Bent to Alugard's desires? Even I was not spared from this until…until I realized I saw in you…what I myself had become…"

"Nightslice!" A black haired girl came running over, accompanied by several Pokemon: an Aerodactyl, a Jolteon, an Ivysaur and a Blastoise. Apparently, they'd come through the lab. "What's going on?"

"Nala…" Scantrix whispered. "It's good to see you…for one last time…"

"How do you know my name?" The girl ran over and knelt down as well. It then clicked that it was the former Rocket girl, the same one I'd met on the boat, and later saved at the Blackthorn City base.

"I know a lot of things about you…my Nala. I understand now why you always hated me. I really was a terrible father."

"Father?" Nala gasped. "Wait, you are…my…"

"Fate had cruel, but effective ways of playing out Nala." Scantrix managed a weak grin. "I'm going to hell as it is, but Kris…at least don't let our child suffer that fate."

"Our child?" I stared.

"Back then, when we first met. Yes…it was me who…raped you." His face cringed as he said that. "I don't expect you to forgive me…but I beg you, please save our child. Right here, on B1…Room 27. Something I found out just now."

I cradled his head with the flat side of my claws.

"I love you." I whispered. "Please don't leave me Scantrix!"

"Wein…that's my…real name." His voice was very soft now. It was like he was clinging on to life by his will alone. "Like Kris is yours. You truly have a pure soul. Don't let anyone change that Kris. Before I go, here's a last bit from my wings of tricks."

The Skarmory reached his head beneath his wing and pulled out a small canister filled with a green liquid.

"The antidote." He explained. "Your friend just needs to swallow that."

"Father…" Nala whispered, taking the canister. "Thank you. We'll be able to save Hazuki with this."

"Kris, tell Nala my tale once this is done. Both the good…and the bad, and let me be judged accordingly." His eyes closed. "The rest…is silence."

His head fell back, and I felt his last breath. For a long while, I hugged his lifeless body. When I finally looked up, I saw Nala wiping the tears out of her eyes as well.

The others were standing further back, but now, Nightslice approached.

"Kris…I'm sorry." He said. "But are you going to the B1 level, like he said?"

Carefully, I laid Wein's body down and stood up.

"Yes." I nodded.

"Nala? You think you can take the antidote to Hazuki?"

"I'll manage." Nala replied.

"Riot and Luminair will accompany you. Azure and Ahsura will go with Kris." Nightslice decided. "As for me…Alugard's mine!"

"I know he was going to some main control room, but that's it." I told him.

"It'll be enough." Nightslice growled. "I'll find him."

With a firm look of resolution on his face, Nightslice sprinted down the corridor.

"We should get going too." Nala said.

I was about to answer when a computerized announcement interrupted me.

"2 minutes till launch."

* * *

**Nala**

"Launch?" Kris gasped. "Oh no! The virus! Wein must've temporarily stopped the detonation sequence!"

"Detonation?" I asked, surprised. "We were standing here talking and we could've been blown up?"

"No, the lab is set to go up in flames, destroying the virus with it." She quickly explained. "We rigged their computer systems to overload the generator, but your dad paused the program to synthesize the antidote!"

"Leave this part to me." I declared. "Chimeras have to solve Chimera problems."

"Are you sure? But that's a great risk on your part. Do you even know how to work the computer?"

"Kris, go. I can take care of myself!"

"All right." She sighed. "Haha, you remind me a lot of myself. We're going to have a long talk when this is over Nala. You just need to hit 'resume' for the program. Be careful."

"You too." I replied.

She took off with Azure and Ahsura behind her. I looked over my father's body one last time before stuffing the antidote into my pocket and shoving my way through the double doors.

"Just which computer is it?" Riot asked.

"Let me see." I ran up to the nearest one.

The screen was flashing with the 'resume?' message in the window. Naturally, I clicked on 'Yes'.

"Program activated." I read the message on the screen. "Power generator overload in 60 seconds. Sealing lab to contain explosion. Wait a second! Sealing?"

At that moment, a second set of steel doors slammed close over the entrance to the lab. Same thing happened for the series of windows we'd entered through.

"Oh man!" Luminair cried. "It can't get any worse than this!"

"90 seconds till launch."

"It just got worse!" I cried.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Riot yelled, ramming the door with her side. "You chaps waiting for an engraved invitation?"

Luminair and I joined he assault on the sealed door. Unfortunately, not even the Pokemon's attacks could budge it.

There was a clanging sound as one of the floor panels was abruptly thrown off.

"Hey guys!" Kyle's head poked out of the opening. "You need a way out?"

"Kyle! Am I glad to see you!" I exclaimed happily, running over.

"Then hurry!" Kyle lowered his head as we jumped down onto his back.

Hazuki was there to help me regain my balance as I landed. We were in a partially water-filled, underground tunnel.

"Water systems." Hazuki smiled weakly.

Luminair leapt down beside us and Riot managed to find enough space to flap her wings, despite the cramped conditions of the tunnel.

"Move people!" Riot ordered.

"Kyle, go!" Hazuki agreed.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Kyle replied as he started swimming. And swimming really fast.

We were fortunate enough to leave the explosion far behind. However, I still cupped my hands over my ears to drown out the noise.

"That was too close!" Kyle panted.

"At least it's the end of that virus." Luminair commented.

"Yeah, that reminds me." I pulled out the antidote. "Hazuki, this is for you. It probably won't taste good, but it's the doctor's orders."

It startled me how quickly the blue haired girl gulped it down.

"Whew." She gasped. "I think I feel better already."

"Give it a while." I said, patting her on the shoulder.

As I did so, the pendant slipped out from under my shirt.

"Wait, this pendant?" Hazuki took it in her hand.

"You recognize it?" I asked, curious.

"Definitely." She nodded. "Because I was the one who lost it. Where'd you get it from?"

* * *

**Serac**

The M4A1 violently vibrated in my hands as I put a number of holes in the last guard behind us. Satisfied that we wouldn't be attacked from behind for a while, I ran forward to see how Dracia was managing.

To put it simply, she was kicking ass. She had either not been scratched a bit or had decided not to show any signs of pain from her wounds, and I had a strong preference for the latter.

The pile of unconscious Marowak, dazed Kangaskhan and the numerous dead or dying human soldiers around were enough to proof the extent of the Dragonite's rage.

Dracia's current battle was a wrestling match with a gigantic Tyranitar. Despite her frenzied rage, the Tyranitar still looked like it was winning. Dracia changed her battle plan and leaned backwards, throwing her opponent's huge mass head over heels.

Roaring, it pulled itself up and let off a bright white Hyper Beam.

Dracia gracefully somersaulted over it and brought her entire weight down on the back of its head. The combination of her motion and her mass easily brought her opponent down. I heard the dull crack as the opponent's skull was crushed under the excessive force used.

"Hey, take it easy." I said, running up beside her.

Dracia was panting and covered with perspiration, but refused to answer me. While waiting for her to recover, I scanned the area and my eyes fell upon a sign further down the corridor.

"Weapons storeroom." I read, walking over to the door beside it. It was locked, but there was a panel with three buttons on it. "Just three buttons? Jeez, these people are either very stupid, extremely overconfident."

I tried pushing a combination of the three buttons. A buzzer suddenly sounded, startling me.

"We need more lumber, asshole!" A squeaky voice blared from the speaker on the door.

"Huh?" I gawked. "Wrong number then."

I tried another combination. This time, some music played.

Dracia walked over and smashed the control panel with her fist. That had both the effect of stopping the music and opening the door.

"Thanks."

Dracia gave a slight nod as I stepped through. It was pretty small, hardly larger than a broom closet. Most of the guns were either broken or didn't look in very good condition. However, one caught my attention.

"Wow…" It took a lot of strength to lift the Nikita Rocket Launcher over my shoulder. "What a beauty!"

I walked out and showed it to Dracia.

"Careful, that thing has auto-firing." She warned.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Because your finger just moved the switch marked 'auto-fire'."

"Huh? Oh sh…aarrggh!" I was thrown to the ground by the force of the rocket firing.

That had the effect of creating a huge hole in the opposite wall.

"Oops!" I muttered. "Yargh!"

I'd barely gotten to my feet when the Nikita fired again.

"Help! How do you stop this thing?" I cried, struggling to keep my balance.

Dracia dropped to the floor and covered her head as another rocket went off. With a rather pissed look, she pointed in the direction away from herself.

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry!" I gasped, turning around so I faced away from the Dragonite.

I felt the ground shake and glanced up to see a huge monster walking around the bend. It was humanoid in form, only several times bigger and taller, wearing a trench coat. Its face was horribly disfigured.

"STARS…" It moaned.

I screamed and fell backwards, just as the Nikita fired again.

BOOM! The creature was reduced bits and chunks of charred flesh. The weapon gave a negative beep, indicating that its ammunition had been depleted.

"What the hell was that thing?" I gasped.

"He was probably in the wrong fic." Dracia replied. "Anyway, here."

She tossed me a box of rockets from the storeroom.

"I'll try not to pull another stunt like that." I laughed as I loaded the weapon.

The sounds of gunfire caught our attention.

"There." Dracia pointed her head to the source of the noise.

* * *

**Firestorm **

"Damn! We're pinned!" I yelled, still taking over behind the corners.

"Thanks for stating the obvious!" Jade yelled.

"You're welcome!"

That robot with the Gattling Gun was still firing, making me wonder how much ammo they had to waste.

"Take that!" Serac's voice sounded.

It was followed by a deafening blast, which promptly stopped the gunfire. I peered out the see its weapon had been destroyed. Having approached by a corridor at the robot's side, Serac and Dracia stepped into view, waving to us in triumph. A Nikita launcher was on the floor beside them.

"Damn!" Dylin growled. "Fall back now!"

The robot hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating his order. Then, it dropped down onto its back.

"Everyone sweatdrops."

"It's so hard to build good help these days." Dylin sighed, slapping his head.

"Jade! Ehrgeiz! Now!" I cried. "Mega Quake!"

Utilizing the earth-based Sacred technique, I slammed my fist onto the ground, creating a tremor which sent Dylin stumbling and the robot bouncing into the air. Ehrgeiz took the cue and gave it a Thunderblot while it was in mid-air.

The robot hit the floor hard, sending small bits and pieces of it flying off. Its circulatory groaned in protest as it struggled to get into a kneeling position. And that was just in time to see Jade and me with the finale.

"X-strike!"

Jade's flames wrapped themselves around my claws while I was in mid-charge. With the added speed of my Quick Attack, the impact's power and the flames combined to generate a small explosion, taking off the robot's head and most of its upper body.

"Useless machine!" Dylin muttered, climbing to his feet. "This isn't over yet!"

The sub-commander fired several shots at us, causing us to dive for cover, before making a break for the nearest door.

However, something else stopped him before he got there.

"UUUaaaarrrgggghhhhhhhhh!"

A blue sphere of energy smacked him dead on, sending him flying all the way across the corridor. Jade, Ehrgeiz and I dropped to the ground as Dylin's body hit the wall with an ear-splitting crunch. It didn't take much for us to realize he was dead.

"Look there!" Serac pointed.

Standing on the opposite side was a strange Pokemon. It reassembled a purple humanoid with feline like features. It still had its three fingered hands raised, and I realized it was the one who'd just killed the SF sub-commander.

(Be wary, this was not the true threat.) Her telepathic voice told us. Somehow, it didn't surprise me that it was a psychic-type Pokemon.

"Who are you?" I demanded, still wary of the figure.

(I am not your enemy.) She replied. (I am Syndrea. I believe I would be known as Mewtwo. But let me ask you this Firestorm; can you feel its power?)

"What's power?" I asked, confused.

(That, you will know for yourself. Follow me, if your instincts tell you to.) In a flash of blue light, she was gone.

"What was that about?" Jade wondered.

"I don't really know…however, I do feel something." I said, closing my eyes. "My psychic powers aren't really developed yet. I don't know how to explain it, but it's like feeling something cold and dark."

"And what about…her?" Serac jerked a thumb towards the position Syndrea had stood on.

"She left something like a psychic trail, and I say we follow." I told the others. "I have a feeling she's leading us right to where we want to be."

"Incomming!" Ehrgeiz warned, spotting a Feraligatr charging round the corner.

Immediately, I faced our new opponent, yellow energy flashing around my body as I charged up my lightning based Sacred Technique.

"Integration!"

* * *

**Kris **

"Jeez, this place is a hell hole!" I shouted.

Fires were everywhere and it wasn't hard to see why the basement level was practically abandoned. Azure lowered his twin cannons and did his best to clear the fires out of our path. Ahsura wasn't taking the heat much better than myself, but he contributed his Razor Leafs to clearing smaller pieces of debris. I lead the way, counting the room numbers on the doors.

"Nice to see you again Kris." Ahsura said as we ran. "You may be a little different on the outside, but you're still the same within."

That pretty much shocked me into stopping and turning back to face them. The two first Pokemon I'd ever had. It really pricked my conscience that I'd forgotten all this while.

"You've grown a lot, both of you." I replied. "I just wish I could say the same about myself."

"We're still here for you. Whatever you may have done, it's just great you came back." Azure added in.

"Yeah." Ahsura nodded.

"Thanks guys…" I was truly touched.

An explosion from a nearby door drew us back to our perilous reality, getting the three of us running again.

"Which room again?" Azure asked.

"27!" I panted. "Here!"

I kicked the door inwards, only to be greeted by a waves of blinding flames in my path.

"This doesn't look good!" Ahsura exclaimed.

Although I had to admit that he was right, I had to at least try. Try to find my child.

"Azure!"

"Gottcha." The Blastoise nodded, unleashing his Hydro Pump upon the flames.

"Just wait out here for me, and try to keep the water coming!" I instructed.

Both Pokemon nodded and watched be intently. Every instinct in my Scyther body was screaming 'get away from the flames', but what pushed me on was my human side. A part of myself I'd lost touch with for so long.

With a roar, I plunged into the flames.

I very nearly regretted it, but I shielded my eyes with a claw and glanced around. Azure's spray of water was consistent and cooling, but also made it harder to see, with added difficulty from the smoke and steam from the fire.

I choose to rely on my beast instincts and let out a series of calls. They were more like growls meant to alert any other Scyther in the area. At first there was nothing. I was about to give up when I got a faint response. I caught a flicker of movement towards the back of the room.

It took every ounce of my courage to defy my instincts and leap through the flames. There, I finally saw the hatchling. A baby Scyther, barely even up to my knee. He was huddled up in a corner of the room, behind a cage and some fallen metal slabs.

I don't know if it's some parental instinct to know your children, but whatever it was, I knew that…he was my child.

"Here! Come on!" I called, running closer.

The hatchling was terrified, and instead backed away, further into the corner where I couldn't reach him.

"Come on!" I pleaded, sticking my claw as far in as I could. "Please!"

In those few tense seconds as I silently pleaded, cursed and simply prayed. Finally, he began to move towards me.

"Yes, that's right." I put on the best smile I could. "Just a little more…"

He was almost within reach. Then…fate intervened.

The explosion was so close it temporarily deafened me. I screamed in anguish, whether for myself or my child I didn't know.

I was lying on the ground, partially conscious, too stunned to move…to save myself. I was sure it was the end for me.

But then I heard voices.

"What the? Kris!" It was Ahsura. "Bro, we gotta get in there!"

"Trying, but my water supplies are almost out!"

"Whatever it is, we have to get her out of there!"

I couldn't catch much after that, but I was briefly aware of myself being lifted up and carried around, through the flames. I could hear screams and coughing, but my mind refused to work.

"Gark! Can't hold…on!"

"Just a little more Ahsura. Just…as long as she's…all right…"

When I finally came to, I found myself back at the top of the stairway we'd come down. And I felt like I'd walked through the burning pits of hell and back. However, that was when I noticed the two figures sprawled on the floor on either side of me.

"Ahsura! Azure! NO!"

Both the Ivysaur and the Blastoise were badly burnt, practically charred in some places, and bleeding all over. God knows what they just went through to get me out of there.

"Please, wake up!" I begged, shaking each one was lightly as I could.

"At least…we got to…see you…one last time, Kris." Ahsura moaned weakly.

"We always said…we'd look after you. Just…like old times…" Azure followed up.

"Don't try to talk." I cried, although I knew what was coming.

"Don't…worry about…us…" Ahsura looked up towards me and managed a weak grin.

"As long…as…you…remember…" Azure closed his eyes.

Ahsura immediately joined him.

I was left staring there, in a complete state of numbness. My Scyther body roared with all its might. The roar of anguish seemed to reenergize my body. I'd failed myself; I'd failed Wein/Scantrix; I'd failed my child; I'd failed Ahsura and Azure.

I slammed the ground over and over again until I managed to get a hold of myself. I had to stop this…I had to start believing in myself again.

With my new spur of energy, I bade my fallen comrades a silent farewell, before breaking into a sprint.

* * *

_Nightslice_…_brother…I won't fail you too…_


	19. Full Circle

_Pokemon_ _and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Full Circle **

By nightdragon0

**Nightslice**

The room looked empty, but I knew much better than to believe that. It was apparently some miniature water processing plant. I glanced around in anticipation, noting every movement of the machines and every sound. There were hissing sounds as steam escaped from the pipes around the area.

"Alugard! Come out! I know you're here!"

"The force is with you young warrior…but you are not a Jedi yet."

"Oh, don't patronize me!"

On a platform above me, Alugard stepped into view. It had been a long time since I'd seen him personally. As confirmed by the others, he was a Scizor.

He had added components, just as I remembered. A silver chest plate looked that something like a sleeveless Kevlar Vest with several blinking lights on it. The helmet that was also silver and was worn over the upper part of his head, leaving the lower jaws exposed. A red visor over the eyes' section served as his means of vision. The black and gray armguard covered his lower right arm, ending before the pincer-like claws. However, he'd apparently dropped his storage pack.

It was impossible to see his eyes through that visor, but I didn't need to at all. For this was the time, I would put an end to my nemesis.

"I've let you mess with my life long enough!" I declared. "This time, we'll end this. Here and now!"

"I find that your terms are agreeable." Alugard calmly replied, pointing a claw at me. "But no matter what, you'll always have that darkness within you…"

"SHUT UP!" I roared, charging.

Alugard opened his right pincer, revealing the hidden Gattling Gun inside. Instinctively, I vaulted to the side as a spray of bullets hit the floor. I landed on my feet and kept running.

My opponent ceased fire and leapt down towards me.

"Stone Prison!" I called out the name of the technique, summoning a wall of stone from the ground, blocking Alugard's path.

It didn't take him too long to break through, but I was better prepared by the time he did. My slash caught the old warrior in mid-air, but he managed to recover and land upright. I threw myself into a sweeping kick, which he somersaulted over and landed behind me.

We got into a frenzy of slashes, like a pair of swordsmen.

In the midst of that, a small pink shape came skipping past.

"Jiggly!"

"Huh?!" Both Alugard and I stopped fighting and stared at the Jigglypuff, holding a marker in its hand.

(Alugard and Nightslice sweatdrop.)

"Jigglypuff!"

"Arrrgggghhhhhhhhh!" Simultaneously, we kicked it, sending the pink Pokemon smashing through the wall and rocketing off into the distance. (Viewable through a Jigglypuff-shaped hole.)

"She outta consider a contract with the Powerpuff Girls." I muttered.

"Yeah…" Alugard said in disbelief.

Then, we stared at each other and remembered the situation we were in.

Alugard's kick threw me down face first, but I managed to roll away as he tried a follow-up stomping attack. With a spinning motion, I brought my legs up, taking Alugard down. I quickly got up and sprinted a short distance off.

"Disintegration!" In the flash of an eye, I attacked, lashing out with the water elemental slash.

Alugard used his claws to guard, but the Forbidden Technique still did some damage to him. I had to dodge again as he sprayed me with another round of bullets.

"Face the shadows!" He growled, putting a claw across his chest.

The world around me seemingly darkened.

"What the?!" I gasped. I literally couldn't see anything past my own snout.

I was suddenly smacked below the chin, and then slashed form the side. Roaring in pain, I dropped to one knee, desperately trying to think of something. I then heard the click as Alugard prepared to fire.

"Matrix armor!" I called out.

My body was engulfed in a golden light as the armor welded itself around my body. The light also pierced through the darkness of Alugard's Forbidden Technique, allowing me to see his position. However, I didn't have time to do anything but raise my claws and defend against the volley of gunfire.

My mind screamed in torment as I struggled to hold my ground. The golden armor protected me from harm, but the stress of maintaining it badly wore me down. Unable to hold it any longer, the armor dematerialized.

Suddenly, I found my air supply cut off. Alugard had me in a chokehold from behind.

"You may have grown, but your will is still weak." He taunted.

"NNOOOO!" I screamed.

In my fury, I sank my fangs into his forearm, the one not covered by the armguard. It hurt my jaws terribly, but I managed to pierce through his outer skin. Despite the pain, Alugard managed to keep his iron grasp on me.

I felt the salty taste as my opponent's blood went down my throat. I thrust my elbows backwards, again and again.

Finally, I gathered up enough strength of break loose, throwing Alugard to the ground.

Several machines exploded around the room, starting some small fires. Their orange glow reflected off our bodies, producing a stunningly eye-catching effect.

"RRaarggghhh!" Another roar came as Kris leapt onto the scene, swinging her blades.

Alugard blocked the surprise attack and leapt away, standing to face the two of us.

"You used me!" Kris yelled in anger. "Dammit! That whole time, you've been playing me like a puppet!"

"I only gave you what you wanted." Alugard replied. "The chance to take out your anger. Besides, when I gave you that promise that we wouldn't be killing any innocent bystanders, I kept that. Nightslice counts as an entirely different thing. And you were particularly easy to mold to that purpose."

"Gggrrraaagghh! Kris, let's send him to hell!" I roared.

"Delighted to oblige!"

The blade fight resumed with three combatants this time. Screams of combat filled the room. Alugard expertly warded off our combined attacks and we leapt and jumped around, pulling off all sorts of aerial maneuvers.

I somersaulted over our opponent and swung my claw. Alugard blocked it and threw me off just in time to face Kris. His attack was mistimed and caught her on the side of her chest. However, Kris managed to twist her body slightly and kicked his face, causing him to stumble.

That was the perfect opportunity. I lunged, with a wrath I'd never know, and drove my claw right through Alugard's chest. Blood splattered everywhere as I withdrew my sword-like claw.

Alugard's face was contorted in pain. But then, he grinned and begun to laugh.

"Hahaha…well done. You did have it in you after all."

"W…what do you mean?!"

"By my blood, you have gained the Bug elemental dragon's Forbidden Skill, my Forbidden Skill, the aura known as the Will of Shadows. A ghost type technique combining Night Shade and Confuse Ray, it drives darkness into the minds of your enemies itself. However…it is tied to…my life force."

Kris approached as Alugard dropped to his knees.

"Your life force?" I asked. "You mean…I could only obtain it if…"

"If you killed me, yes. And killed me out of hatred." Alugard continued.

"Then why, why everything?" Kris muttered. "The base, your troops?"

"I was reborn with the mission to bring you to this world, Nightslice. Those were the times where even I tried to deny my destiny. But, that day I was captured by the humans, and later when you hatched, I realized …I could never truly be free…until this time."

I knelt down and faced him. My eyes were tearing up, but I didn't care.

"It was true at first that I deceived those other Pokemon with false visions to get them to join up with me. However, as time passed, I realized I truly begun to care for every one of them. It was something I'd never experienced in the past, as the Bug elemental dragon. And I was caught between myself and my destiny."

"Father…"

"Haha…I'm glad you can for once, call me that and truly mean it." Alugard coughed. "Now, with the 8 Forbidden Skills at your disposal, density is in your hands."

BOOM! A nearby machine exploded, sending a large portion of it falling down onto our position. In a flash, Alugard jumped up and shoved me out of the way.

"Gguuarrggh!"

My world spun as I went flying. I groaned as Kris helped me to my feet and gasped in shock seeing Alugard had caught the large mass on his back, struggling with his weakened body to hold it up.

"You must hurry; your friends are in grave danger." He whispered. "There's no time for me…to explain."

"Nightslice, we've got to get out of here." Kris tugged on my arm. "I have a bad feeling this sector is on the verge of annihilation."

"Heed her advice. It doesn't matter what happens to me." Alugard nodded weakly. "The path you take from here on is entirely up to you. Farewell…my son…"

I somehow let Kris drag me all the way across the room and out the door.

* * *

**Alugard**

I stood and watched, feeling the last of my strength slowly leaving my battered body.

_Kris and Nightslice… _

There wasn't much time for me now. Everything I'd done, everything I'd been through, now came back in these few seconds to haunt me. More 'bad' than 'good', I admit. However, it still depends on what you view either one as.

Now that my story had been told, I could go.

In my mind, I reached out with what was left of my powers. I called out to all of my surviving troops, the Pokemon who'd fought for me, and told them their task was over. With the passing on of my Forbidden Technique, its effects on them were likely to fade. Most probably, they wouldn't remember anything. It was good them, that I could clear my trails, so to speak.

Yet, I felt a familiar presence nearby. Not physically near at least.

"Zian." I growled. "Come to taunt me one last time?"

(No, not this time, my old enemy. Only to say goodbye. ) The psychic dragon replied.

"Heh, I always was the only one who could whip your ass Zian. Shame we'll never get to finish our battle."

(Indeed. However, it's out of our control now. )

My head had been hanging downwards, and now I looked up. Kris and Nightslice were still at the doorway. Only now Kris had to use a bit of force, as she was literally holding Nightslice back.

Nightslice was definitely screaming something out to me, but I couldn't make it out. My head was spinning too much due to the blood loss. In the midst of his yelling, Nightslice glowed, and he evolved.

I grinned, seeing his new Scizor form.

(Reminds you of yourself, doesn't it? )

"A me I could've been. But will never be now." I replied. "At least now…I am free…"

That moment, my body gave way.

* * *

**Kris**

"Nightslice…You've…"

I'd let go of the newly evolved Scizor and let him stand on his own.

"I know." He replied. "Alugard…was trapped between two sides. He did what he felt he had to. But me…what will I have to do to be free?"

"Whatever it takes, I will be by your side." I said, stepping up beside him and glancing into the burning room.

"Thank you." Nightslice smiled, tuning towards me. "Let's go. Our friends need us."

* * *

**Jade **

"This way!" Firestorm led.

I had noticed the encounters we had along the way were drastically decreasing. It was like the two opposing sides had decided to stop fighting and start running.

"Wait!" I growled.

Our party ducked round a bend as a group of SF soldiers came running in the opposite direction.

"Goddammit! The commander's gone insane!" One of them was yelling. "To heck with it, I'm outta here!"

They just went past us and out of sight. Firestorm looked towards all of us and nodded, before taking the lead again. There was only one door at the corridor's end and it lead into a large open room. It was some sort of amphitheater, through its purpose in this base eluded me.

"I tell you, I don't have it!" A panicked voice was pleading.

"Oh yeah, let's see."

"NNOOO…"

The scream was cut off by the sounds of gunfire. On the stage were two people, one of which who'd just shot the other and was digging through the dead one's lab coat.

I recognized him the instant we got close enough.

"Jubei!" Firestorm roared up.

"So, you came. Just like any would-be hero would." Jubei faced us and stood up. "How fortunate. I do need witnesses to the Angel's return."

"What the hell is he talking about?" Serac muttered.

"And it was all thanks to you." The madman continued, hardly paying attention to us at all. "Testing the Chimera virus and testing implementing serum of the Chimera process on a living subject proved to be a complete success."

"Too bad there were some bugs in your precious virus!" Hazuki yelled, entering from a different entrance.

Flanking her were Nala, Riot, Luminair and Kyle.

"It's busted, to put it short." Nala added in.

"It doesn't matter now!" Jubei laughed. "For now, I hold the ultimate evolution!"

He held up a syringe.

"This here is the DNA of the legendary Angel, enhanced with mutagens and genetic advances! The greatest psychic ever known! Mankind and Pokemon alike will have a new ruler in this form! And you! Will be the first sacrifices to this new reign of terror!"

With that, he turned and jabbed the syringe into himself. The changes begun almost immediately, causing everyone the gasp and some to cry out in horror.

First thing to show were the wings, through black as darkness itself, ripping out from beneath his clothes. Bones burst out from under his skin. No, not actually bone, but rather an exoskeleton made of bone. The whitish mass twisted and melded with his head and body, making some gruesome sounds. The bone-like exoskeleton wasn't uniform, creating horrific deformities all over the former human.

"He can't possibly control that!" Nala cried. "All Chimeras were created under special conditions. There's now way he could survive that!"

"Maybe he can't control it, but I think he's going to survive that." Hazuki muttered. "But what was this Angel anyway?"

(A beast who should never have been allowed to exist. ) In a flash of blue light, Syndrea teleported in. (Known as the ultimate destroyer of life. Long believed to be a myth, but as you can see here, not entirely true. )

The Angel's transformation was complete now. Still roughly humanoid, but with that bony exoskeleton weaved all round his body and limbs. His black wings stretched out behind him. A silver crystal was imbued onto his chest, and from there up was his 'helmet'. A silver mask with no visible eyeholes that covered his entire head.

The fallen one's head turned upwards, towards us.

(It awakens. ) Syndrea declared.

"Then we shall send it back to void, for good!"

"Nightslice?!" Storm gasped as his friend came running into the room. "You've evolved!"

Behind the newly evolved Scizor was a Scyther, Kris.

"We use our triple teams." Nightslice growled.

"Understood." Firestorm nodded. "People, some help!"

Firestorm, Dracia and Ehrgeiz combined their Fire Blast, Blizzard and Thunder. Nightslice, Kyle and Syndrea did the same for the Confuse Ray, Ice Beam and Solar Beam.

"Trinity Burst!"

"Desolation Claw!"

The two beams converged and headed straight for the Angel. It stood still until the very last moment, they raised its arms and formed a back shield around itself. The attacks bounced off it and came right back at us. Screams were everywhere as the explosion threw everybody in random directions. The fallen Angel wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation.

I heard a roar of pain as Riot was tossed into Hazuki, Nala and Kyle. Firestorm let off a Flamethrower, only to be grabbed from behind and thrown aside. Kris and Nightslice attacked and were promptly tossed away. I had no better luck, and ended up in a pile with Luminair and Ehrgeiz. Dracia and Serac were too stunned from the blast to help.

Just as he reached Syndrea, she formed a blue psychic shield around herself. There was a bight burst of energy as the Angel was actually thrown back. Syndrea collapsed, the blow obviously having been extremely taxing on her energy.

However, The Angel hovered up in the air with an emotionless face.

* * *

**Nala**

"We…can't lose…now." Nightslice groaned, stumbling to his feet.

Serac painstakingly pulled herself up, drawing the sword she'd gotten from Nightslice. The Angel was now making another round towards us. Using the sword as a conductor, Serac ran a Thunderbolt through it, only to have our nemesis dodge it and ram her aside, losing the sword in the process.

"Serac!" Hazuki and I ran over to pull her to her feet.

"Watch out!" Riot yelled.

I snapped up just in time to see the Angel sweeping down towards us. I screamed and closed my eyes, but the impact never came.

I looked up and stared mouth-opened at what I saw. The Angel had been halted in mid-flight by a long, serpent-like body wrapped around him. The creature grunted as it struggled with its foe. I realized it reassembled a Chinese Dragon, with its long body, four limbs and wings. Its scales were a dark purple and its eyes glowed with a deep, pinkish color.

"Kel' Tharus!" Nightslice exclaimed.

"I have come to return my debt to you." The purple dragon said. "Riptide's still outside. But there's no time! Attack now!"

"Fanaticism!" Firestorm placed an orange glow around Nightslice's body. This was meant to boost his comrade's attack power.

"Counter Rockets!" Nightslice took the opportunity to execute the dual technique, with help from Luminair's Reflect skill.

The Scizor took to the air, positioned himself head facing down, and shot towards the battle like a missile. It looked like he was about to hit the dragon. However, the dragon's body turned translucent.

Nightslice passed right through Kel' Tharus and slammed the Angel to the ground.

"Wow, how'd he do that?" I wondered.

"Kel' Tharus is the Ghost Dragon." Hazuki pointed out. "I'd guess he has some ghost abilities."

"Like being able to assume a spectral form." The dragon turned towards us and grinned. "Hit the jackpot kid. Now, let's take this abomination down!"

The fallen Angel was climbing to his feet. It so happened he was standing right in the middle of the raised stage. Syndrea teleported in behind him and waved her hands, glowing with blue energy. The Angel roared in pain as his body glowed with the same blue light.

(This won't hold him for long! ) Syndrea warned.

Kel' Tharus joined in, adding his psychic powers to restrain the fallen Angel.

"Finish him, now!" The Ghost Dragon declared.

"Trinity Burst!"

"Desolation Claw!"

The two triple techniques were joined by the attacks of the other Pokemon. All together, the attacks formed into a single beam, with its head shaped like an arrow. The fallen Angel let off one last, ghastly scream as the 'arrow' pierced its heart.

Finally, it fell and lay still. Slowly, its body begun to break up, dissolving into nothingness.

Everyone begun cheering…for about 10 seconds.

* * *

**Nightslice**

A black column of energy burst from the Angel's body, causing everybody to back away from the stage, arousing astonished cries from all.

"I must thank you for getting rid of the fallen Angel for me." A disembodied voice laughed. "This pathetic human was getting far too ambitious."

"No…" Kel' Tharus gasped. His eyes were wide with shock. "It…it can't be!"

All of a sudden, it hit me. The cold, dark feeling.

"Jubei was possessed all along." I told everyone. "This was the reason why his transformation was so complete. It was no work of science. It was his spirit."

"Whose?" Kris asked.

"Kaiser."

"Ah, you know me too well, my other half. Indeed, everything you've been through has been through my manipulation."

The back column of light took shape. It could be best described as a Dragon-man, a humanoid dragon that stood upright on two legs. Only he had the wings, claws and a serpent-like face. His scales were completely black. His eyes glowed with a malicious red tint.

He was about 7 feet, the size of a large Pokemon. Not in his full dragon form…yet.

Snarling, Kaiser reached down and absorbed what was left of the fallen Angel. I gestured for the others to wait, and then walked forward to face him.

"My spirit was split into two parts." He calmly explained as I approached. "It is time for us to rejoin, and be reborn."

I stood face to face with him as he held out his five-fingered claw.

"Come…"

"Never!" I slashed at him with a sudden swipe. However, he simply vanished and appeared several feet back.

"Why do you side with the mortals? They are weak, foolish, imperfect. We however, are the ultimate beings."

I slashed again, only to have my attack dodged.

"Persistent fool. Why do you continue to defy your destiny?" Kaiser asked.

"It's being with your 'mortals' that I've learnt much more." I replied. "What life truly means to us. It's not immortality and power…its living…and experiencing all that's around!"

"Very well, my other half. If you will not come willingly, then I will regrettably have to force you…"

The attack came so swiftly that even I had no time to react. However, I found myself shoved off the stage and back down to the others. That was followed by a loud roar of pain.

"Kel' Tharus!"

A large hole had been torn through the dragon's body. The rest of his body was charred. His wings had been left in tatters. Unable to maintain flight any longer, he collapsed before his former master.

"Fool, did you truly think you could stand against me?!" Kaiser grabbed the wounded dragon by his neck.

"Perhaps…I could never…emerge victorious." Kel' Tharus choked. "However…defying you…will be…my one…true contribution to this world!"

"So be it then…"

"NNOOO!" I screamed.

Kaiser literally slit the dragon open from the chest downwards. I choked seeing his innards spilling out, hearing them land with a disgustingly squishy sound. What horrified me even more was that Kel' Tharus was still alive and screeching in anguish…right until the moment Kaiser snapped his neck.

I let off a long scream of rage as Kaiser tossed the dragon's body aside. In that frenzy, I felt the changes begin, cladding me in the black armor of the Knight Blazer.

I assumed a shape quite similar to his. Completely black except for the twin guns mounted at my waist. Blades attached to my wrists as my claws morphed to a five-fingered claw. A mask hid my face, leaving a red visor for vision.

With a battle cry, I charged. A furious claw fight broke out as we clashed.

* * *

**Serac**

Neither one seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Firestorm was the only one to react, charging in to lend Nightslice his aid. The Charizard waited until they pushed each other apart, and then let off a Flamethrower.

Kaiser dodged it and grabbed Firestorm, using him as a meat shield. Nightslice hesitated, afraid of hitting his friend.

"Humph, pathetic!" Kaiser roared, spitting a fire ball, sending Nightslice crashing into a pile of tables, moaning in pain.

"Nightslice!" I cried.

Kaiser tossed Firestorm aside and charged up a huge ball of energy. Syndrea's eyes widened as she realized it was aimed at Hazuki and Nala. However, Kyle reacted first.

"NO! Get down!" With a tremendous burst of energy, Kyle threw his body in front of Hazuki and Nala, taking the blow for them. "Aaaarrgghh!"

I shielded my eyes…and didn't see Kyle after that.

The blast threw the girls back, against Riot, all three ending up in a heap.

Syndrea had her hands raised, blue energy flickering around them. It seemed like some sort of shield, but the light faded as she collapsed, unconscious.

"KKKKYYYLLLLLEEEE!" Hazuki screamed. Nala could only stare in shock.

As that happened, I noticed something glowing in Nala's hand.

_Wait! That's the…_

"Nala, the pendant!" I requested, holding out my hand.

"Here!" Nala tossed it to me.

Just grasping it, I felt something very special radiating from it. In my mind, I called out to the Pokemon I felt closest to.

"Dracia! Hell fire!"

Dracia roared from her spot on the floor and took to the air, surrounded by a great circle of fire.

"Attack!" Jade ordered, realizing the opportunity.

Everyone else fired off their individual attacks. Some hit the evil dragon, some didn't. But most importantly, they distracted him.

Dracia descended and slammed into Kaiser. A column of flames surrounded the two as Kaiser let out an inhuman screech of pain. With his body charred by the flames, Kaiser was thrown out of the fire pillar, landing motionless on the ground.

There were multiple cheers from our party at seeing our foe fall.

"Dracia!" I yelled, running forward. "Finish it! Nova Barrage!"

With a dragon's roar, Dracia fired off a series on Fire Blasts, one after the other. Each time, the fallen dragon seemed to grow weaker and weaker. Finally, Dracia merged three Fire Blasts into a triangular formation around herself and sent it towards our foe.

However, his head suddenly lifted up. He raised his claws and a black shield formed around himself, turning the Nova Barrage back against us. I saw it was headed for Nala and reacted instinctively.

"Get down!" I shoved Nala away.

I let go of the pendant in my hand during that process. Unfortunately, my act of courage had also put me directly in the Nova Barrage's path.

I expected it to hurt a hell lot. Instead, all I felt was…nothing…

* * *

**Jade **

It was horrific, seeing nothing left on the spot Serac had stood. Nothing but a charred, blackened hole. What made it worse was Dracia's long howl of anguish and Nala screaming. Hazuki was covering her eyes, not being able to take much more.

I roared too, partially though my own intentions, partially through my Charizard body.

_Jade, your time is now!_

Firestorm, who'd landed next to me, turned his head, as if he'd heard the voice too.

"What the?! You again?" I gasped. "Who are you?!"

_Think of me as the force behind your survival Jade. The one who brought you here. Here, for Firestorm's final Sacred technique. _

"But how?" Firestorm muttered.

_It has been within you Jade. _The voice continued to address me. _Since the time you fell into the volcano, I've been lying in wait within your body. Waiting for the time you grew strong enough for me to pass Firestorm his Sacred Skill .For I am the Legendary Dragon of Fire. _

There was a lot more I wanted to ask. However, I knew too that this was something I had to do. And do now.

"Storm? Ready?" I asked, giving him a firm look.

"Let's go." He nodded.

My body glowed with a golden light as I reached out with my claws and touched Firestorm's head.

_This is Paladin. The ultimate transformation. Feel the fire, and unleash the light. Defeat this evil once and for all. _

I felt myself being lifted up and closed my eyes as a blinding light engulfed my world.

* * *

_After all that had been said and done, I knew we would either triumph…or die…_


	20. Season 2 Finale: Winds of Change

_Pokemon and all related trademarks belong to Nintendo. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission._

_The Chimera Saga and the Legendary Dragons belong to Theo 'Blitz' Leung._

* * *

**Winds of Change **

By nightdragon0

**Kris**

The glowing light surrounded Jade and Firestorm. I shielded my eyes for a moment, but I made out a human shape falling to the ground.

I ran over and pulled him back towards the rest of our group, who'd gathered behind us. It was Jade, back as a human once more. He was dressed in a completely white shirt and pants. He stirred as I moved him.

"Jade?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think so." He lifted his hands and looked at them. "I'm…human!"

"How bout Storm?" Luminair asked.

"Don't worry." Jade pointed towards the glowing light, which quickly disappeared, leaving a Charizard-like form hovering in its place. "He's back to his old self too."

"Storm?" Nightslice gasped.

The Charizard's form had become clad in a silvery set of armor. His face was completely covered by a helmet with just enough space to open his jaws. Two holes served as his means of vision. Going down was the main body plate that covered his entire chest, decorated by a dragon engraved onto its center. Lower body armor went down all the way to the bottom of his feet. His wings and arms were left unaltered, save the glowing light around him.

Literally a dragon in shinning armor.

"My light shines upon your darkness. To the burning hells, vile creature!" Firestorm raised a hand and a sword of brilliant light formed in it.

With the weapon held high, he lowered his wings and charged.

"Never!" Kaiser declared. "My darkness will conquer all!"

Nightslice rammed the evil dragon from the side, intending to distract him. Unfortunately, the attack was miscalculated and unintentionally knocked Kaiser out of Firestorm's sword's path…but not his tail's. And Storm gave him a hard smack.

Kaiser roared as he hit the ground. The dark dragon pulled himself up and threw off several fireballs, striking Firestorm and Nightslice. The pair hit the ground, however Kaiser never got the chance to attack.

Luminair and Ehrgeiz shocked him with their Lightning attacks. Kaiser stumbled back to take Riot's Hyper Beam in his face. Hazuki and Nala were standing behind the Aerodactyl, clenching their fists.

Dracia's Dragon Breath move came out of pure fury, but still got its job done.

Syndrea was leaning unsteadily against the wall, but still managed to contribute a Psychic, stunning the dragon further.

Once again, Firestorm took to the sky. Only this time, he raised his sword of light to the sky like a paladin. Golden energy charged up around the shinning blade. Roaring, Kaiser fired a series of energy bursts. Firestorm did his best to dodge the assault as he folded his wings and descended towards his target.

"You will never defeat…rrrraaaarrrrgghhhh!"

Nightslice had leapt up and ran his blade through Kaiser from behind. At that moment, Firestorm had reached him and drove his shinning sword home as well.

Multi colored lights flashed as the energies clashed. All three roared in pain and energy crackled over their bodies. A small explosion threw Storm to the ground, his new armor fading away. However, Nightslice remained up there.

I pulled myself to my feet and got off running. There were multiple yells from everyone telling me not to go. But this was something I had to do. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Syndrea raising her hands.

Letting off a furious scream, I threw myself into the midst of the swirling energies, caught Nightslice, and brought him back down. Nightslice, back to his normal Scizor body.

We hit the ground hard, but I managed to look up into the clashing lights. Kaiser's body was breaking up, being engulfed by the golden spectrum. However, for a brief moment, I saw an image of the Knight Blazer, standing firmly.

The next instant, my world disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

**Hazuki **

"Ughh…" I moaned, opening my eyes.

"You all right?" Nala was suddenly standing over me.

"Yeah…but the others?"

"Don't worry." Nala pulled me up.

We were standing in a wide, open grass field, quite different from the base we'd last been it. Looking around, I saw the others. Riot and Dracia were nearby, Luminair and Ehrgeiz beside them. Firestorm, Kris and Jade, the last of the three being in his human form again.

"Kyle…" I sighed sadly, remembering what he'd done during those final chaotic moments. "Serac…Syndrea…they're gone too."

Nala patted my shoulder.

"I think Syndrea was the one who teleported us out of there before the explosion." Nala said. "But I don't know what happened to her after that."

"This doesn't look good." Firestorm muttered. The Charizard was kneeling, with his eyes closed and a claw on Nightslice's forehead.

Everyone ran over and formed a circle around Nightslice, lying on his back and breathing heavily.

"What's happened to him?" Jade asked.

"With the removal of the Knight Blazer, that part of Kaiser's spirit, from him, his Forbidden Powers are gone. And his life force is fading rapidly." Firestorm explained. He was probably reading it from Nightslice's mind. "He doesn't have much time left…"

"No!" I cried, causing everyone to look towards me. "We've lost too many friends already! There has to be something we can do!"

"But what?" Jade asked.

"Nightslice's life force was tied to that part of Kaiser's spirit." Firestorm said. "So if we could bind it to something else…"

"He could be saved, right?" Luminair asked.

"I volunteer." Kris spoke. "But can you do it?"

"If I use all the energies of my Sacred Powers, yes." Firestorm replied. "I'll lose the use of them, but I'm willing to sacrifice it for his sake. However, it's you I'm more worried about Kris. This bond will bind your two in life and in death. It will be impossible to break."

"How did you learn all this stuff?" Jade wondered.

"Zian's telling me." The Charizard replied. His eyes had been closed the whole time. "When it comes to Planeswalking, he knows how to find me."

"Let's do it then." Kris declared.

"You're absolutely sure?" Storm asked for one final time.

"Yes." She replied immediately.

In a flash of golden light, it was over.

* * *

**Kris **

The sun was setting as we finally approached Blackthorn City. We'd met up with Riptide along the way, but no one was really in much of a talking mood. We'd all lost someone, and some were taking it harder than others.

I lay back against the grassy hill and glanced over my Scyther body.

_Guess this is me for good now… _

With bits and pieces of information from the others, I gathered that Nightslice needed his Forbidden Powers to restore my human self. And now that he'd lost them, I was…

"Kris."

I started, jumping up. It was Nightslice, in human form, with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Kris, I really want to thank you for saving me."

"You would've done the same for me." I put on as best a smile as I could. "I made such a mess of things. We lost so many friends…I couldn't bear to lose you too."

"It wasn't your fault Kris." Nightslice sat down beside me. "It wasn't anybody's fault for what happened. Everyone believed, and fought for what their hearts told them. That's what counts."

"Yeah…I guess."

"By the way, I have a little something for you." He reached out and touched my head.

An odd feeling ran through my body. My head spun and I passed out for a few moments. When I came to, I felt very different. I felt my…hands?

I sprang up and looked over myself. I was back to my human self! I found myself dressed in black jeans and a blue T-shirt. Over it was a black jacket and on my hands a pair of fingerless gloves.

Nightslice stood over to the side, grinning at my delight.

"How?" I staggered. "I thought you lost your powers!"

"I lost my Forbidden Powers, but I realized I had one more residing in me. The power Euphoria used to turn me into a human. I just passed that power into you, through our soul bond."

"Then, you're…"

"Oh, this?" Nightslice tapped his chest. "It'll last till morning at least. After that, I'm back to a Scizor. Anyway, while we have this time, how about a night out?"

He pointed down to the town below.

"Sounds great!" I replied.

"And before I forget, here I think you'll like this." He handed me his sword in a sheath. "Koga gave this to me, but since I won't need it anymore, I think it can replace the one I broke all that time ago."

Tears came to my eyes as I took it. I ran forward and hugged him.

Of course, Nightslice returned it.

* * *

**Several weeks later…**

**Hazuki **

I lay back against the sand and felt the waves running over my legs.

"Kyle…"

I'd wanted to show him how beautiful the open sea could be. He'd spent so long cooped up in enclosed places that he deserved it. I hadn't admitted it then, but I really…really cared for him.

Now, it was too late. I'd never get the chance again. Life just seemed so…so short.

I hear a high-pitched cry and turned towards the sea. A school of Lapras were swimming in the distance. I wanted to imagine my friend out there, but I knew it would only be deluding myself. I still had our memories, no matter how short they were.

We'd spent quite some time settling down and searching around any places of importance we'd come across during our travels.

Alugard's hidden base at Mount Silver had been completely abandoned, leaving it but an empty shadow of its former self. Syndrea too was no where to be found and if she'd survived or not was yet another question.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax a little. I was supposed to be getting my mind off these things.

There was a sudden splash practically next to me, causing me to jump up. I glanced around…and spotted a shadow darting off into the water.

"Hey! Wait!" I splashed into the sea till I was waist deep and realized the mysterious shadow was no where to be seen.

Either it had simply been a fragment of my imagination…or it had disappeared into the water without a trace.

Shaking my head, I passed it off as the former.

* * *

**Firestorm **

"Well, guess I made a pretty crappy Charizard." Jade was saying.

"Hey, don't say that. You did beat me, remember?" The female replied.

"Sort of, I suppose." Jade muttered, scratching his blond hair.

We were back in the Charisific Valley and Jade was talking to the female Charizard who had been pretty…close to him during his time here as one of them. Jade had actually gone back to his old outfit: green jeans, black shirt and a green vest over that.

The spirit of the Fire Dragon had been within him since the volcano incident. Neither of us was able to contact the Dragon currently, so he'd either disappeared or was lying dormant again. For how long, no one could tell.

Thinking about it, things hadn't really worked out for Dracia and me. She'd distanced herself from the rest of our group since the great battle.

I shot a glance over to Lisa, standing over by the side with Charla. I rubbed the left side of my face, the part I'd once needed to cover up because of old injuries from my Rocket days. Being human had apparently removed the scars all together.

"I'm sure you'll be able to find another nice guy to spend your time with. But for me…" Jade formed a flame at his hand and tossed it around. Some part of his Charizard side had remained, pretty much making him a Chimera.

"I have a whole new aspect of myself to discover." He smiled. "Kind of cool seeing what I can do if I don't hold back."

"Excuse me." I cut in, taking the female Charizard's claw. "Now that you're done with him…I'm single, available and free this Saturday night. How bout a date?"

SLAP!

"Ow…" I moaned.

"Needless to say, she's not too happy about that." Lisa commented.

"Heh, you could always try asking Charla." Jade laughed.

"Hey cool! How about it Charla? Dinner tonight?"

(Everyone faints.)

SLAP!

* * *

**Nala **

"I admit, your friend is a very interesting study." Blaine admitted.

"Really? I'm honored." Riot grinned.

"Guess you science people would jump at the chance to study an extinct Pokemon." I agreed.

"I'll take that as a compliment then." Blaine replied. "By the way, how's my nephew been doing?"

"Oh Jade? Well, the others say he's back to normal. What counts as him being normal at least." I told him. "I heard he's still got some Pyrokinetic powers."

"Yes, he nearly burnt down my lab the last time." Blaine sighed.

"It pretty much makes him a Charizard Chimera." I said. "A Chimera, like the rest of us. Even Kris is now a Scyther Chimera. They're not actual Chimeras like Hazuki and me, but they closely reassemble one in terms of genetic makeup."

"That can be good or bad, depending." Riot commented.

"Well, we have to get going Riot. We're supposed to meet up with the others later, remember?"

* * *

**Kris**

"How you all doing?" I asked, kneeling down as Luminair, Riptide and Ehrgeiz came running to greet us.

We were at Koga's Gym in Fuchsia City, where I'd sent the three for some additional training.

It had taken a while, but eventually I'd gotten used to being human again after so long. Only difference was that my eyes retained the blue tint and somewhat Scyther-like appearance. And I'd been told by everyone that I was now considered a Scyther Chimera. I'd missed out on a lot too.

Everyone had different ways of coping with our losses, and mine was to go out and practice with my Katana. I'd needed a lot of time to myself, but Nightslice had always insisted on coming with me.

He always stood silently by my side, as he was now.

"We're great Kris." Luminair replied, licking my hand. "This is a real cool place! But how about the others?"

"Dracia in particular?" Ehrgeiz cut in. "She still feeling…about…Mirage?"

"She's not taking it too well I'm afraid." Nightslice said softly. "The scars may have healed, but the soul will take time to recover."

"I'm sorry about that." Riptide put a webbed hand on the Electabuzz's shoulder. "I know you really cared about Mirage."

"I'll be all right." Ehrgeiz replied. "Everyone's always saying how things happen for a reason. And I believe that too."

"Words of wisdom." Riptide nodded.

"Guys, do you mind staying here longer?" I asked. "I just…"

"Hey, you don't need to lie to us." Luminair barked. "We know you just don't want us to get into any more trouble after all that."

"Guys…"

"We understand too." Riptide continued. "Just take care of yourself, Kris."

"And you too Nightslice." Ehrgeiz finished.

"Thanks." I smiled, giving each one a hug. "I'll see you around."

Nightslice too gave each on the Pokemon equivalent of a handshake.

We left the three running about in the field and walked back into the Gym. Koga was standing in the doorway with his arms folded, waiting patiently.

I gestured with my eyes towards the other Pokemon.

"I understand." The Gym Leader nodded. "They're in good hands. Just take care of yourselves."

"I know." I replied, tapping the sword strapped by my side.

"She's in good hands too." Nightslice grinned. "Claws at least."

That got the three of us laughing.

* * *

**Dracia **

I glanced out across the ocean, fingering the pendant around my neck. I'd spent much of my time alone, pushing myself away from the others. However, there was one I couldn't escape from.

_Stop blaming yourself Dracia. You can't go on like this. _

"Serac…" I muttered. "What can I do? I got Mirage killed. And I got you killed too."

_I'm not actually dead at least. My soul is in here, with you. You still saved me… _

"No, it was the pendant. I messed up."

_My friend, your soul is still tormented. Please, let me into it. The soul can be healed with time, should you choose for it to. _

"Perhaps, sometime later..."

The others had been pretty shocked when they found out about Serac and me, but no one had been able to come up with a reasonable explanation for it. Serac was quite most of the time and it was easy to forget she was in there.

"Hey, Dracia!" Nala was on Riot's back, descending towards me.

_Say hi to her if you don't mind. _

"Serac says hi." I repeated.

Nala did her best to put on a smile, despite my troubled face.

"Anyway, everyone's meeting up in a while. Are you coming?"

"I…"

_Dracia, for once, why don't you go? _

"I'll consider it Nala. Thank you for your concern." I decided.

"I understand Dracia." Nala replied. "We're not forcing you anyway. Well, see you around!"

I watched the pair depart and turned back to the ocean. Perhaps I could go out there, across the endless oceans. Perhaps I could find some peace…way out there.

_I'll always be here for you. As sure as the setting sun. _

"Serac…"

* * *

**Nightslice **

"So, what was it you wanted to show us Kris?" Jade asked.

This was the first gathering we'd had since the battle with Kaiser. Jade and Firestorm stood to one side, Hazuki, Nala and Riot beside them.

We'd chosen a Cliffside overlooking the sea as our gathering place. It was a beautiful view too, watching the sun setting across the Olivine Coast.

"Nightslice and Storm should remember this." Kris said, pulling a large book out of her backpack.

"Wasn't that the book where we first read about the legend of the Dragon Gods?" Firestorm gasped.

"Yes, the Prophet's Book." Kris replied. "Remember how its pages filled up as you two got your Sacred and Forbidden Techniques? Well, I thought of taking a look now, but I wanted to wait for everybody first.

"We're all here, so can we get onto this?" Hazuki asked excitedly.

"Haha, all right." Kris sat down and reached for the first page. "Here we go…"

"HELLO PEOPLE!"

"YARGH!" Everyone nearly jumped out of their skin "or scales" as a green dragon whelp teleported into the middle of our circle.

Unfortunately, it had also given Kris such a scare that she had unintentionally thrown the book. Our party stared as it landed with a loud splash in the sea.

"Zian!" Firestorm screamed, recognizing the legendary psychic dragon.

"Oops, did I scare you lot?"

"YES!" Everybody yelled.

"Great going Zian." I growled. "Now we're never going to find out what was written in there!"

"Anyway, you weren't supposed to be peeking at the end." Zian laughed. "So, ready for your next big adventure?"

"You say it as if it were so easy." Firestorm sighed.

"Well, it would be…**IF**…a certain pair of Pokemon hadn't **TOTALLY** lost **OUR** Sacred and Forbidden Powers!"

(Firestorm and Nightslice sweatdrop.)

"But why should you worry about it chap?" Riot asked.

"BECAUSE HE LOST **MY** Planeswalking ABILITY!"

(Everyone faints.)

"Anyway, I'm here to tell you that your next battle is about to begin." Zian said.

"Man, don't we get a break?" I muttered.

"Sorry, I have orders from the great, white arrow in the sky."

"Huh?" All heads turned up.

"Nevermind." Zian sighed. "Can't you people get a joke when you hear one?"

"I don't think I want to know." Nala replied.

Zian then turned his head away from us.

"They'll be all right." He said out loud. He didn't look like he was addressing us and I was about to ask why when I remembered he was telepathic.

"Sorry, Old Grix is getting worked up again." The Psychic Dragon got back to us. "Anyway, I can give you a little lift, but that's it. You'll have to figure the rest out on your own."

"Well guys?" Kris asked.

No words were exchanged, but the grins and nods were universal.

It was time to begin the next frontier.

* * *

_The winds of change had come and passed…for now. Somehow, I felt this would be the first of many. Life is one long learning journey. _

_And we all must keep walking on… _

* * *

Author's notes:

_And so, season 2 is at its end. Once again, I'd like to extend my word of thanks you for reading and for all your support. _

_The Dragon Riders will be back again sometime, through under a different name – **Dragon Realms**. _

_Watch out, you'll never know what surprises await!_

_In the meantime, you just might want to check out 'United We Stand' by Theo 'Blitz' Leung, who's given me a lot of support throughout all this. Plus letting me use some of his characters._

_The Dragon Riders will be appearing in this fic, so give it a read! _

_Until next time, I'll see you in the **Dragon Realms**!_

_nightdragon0 _


End file.
